Hyundai Motor Group (Kia), Alten Korea and BASF co-develop circular concept seat for Kia EV3 Study Car 2.0
- Hyundai Motor Company-Kia, Alten Korea and BASF co-developed a concept seat for the Kia EV3 Study Car 2.0 that integrates circular material approaches with design-for-disassembly.
- Materials specified include Elastollan TPU (partly bio-based, foamed via Whistling supercritical technology), Elastoflex W PU foam with post-consumer recycled content, Haptex polyurethane synthetic leather with bio-circular feedstock, and Ultramid CR RC4 recycled polyamide for the seat back cover.
- Alten Korea designed an integrated seat architecture to facilitate future dismantling and material sorting while balancing structural, assembly and appearance requirements.
- Study Car 2.0 builds on prior Hyundai–BASF concept work (i-flow 2010, RN30 2016, EV3 Study Car 2024) and expands end-of-life design considerations across more vehicle materials.
Project overview
Hyundai Motor Company-Kia, Alten Korea and BASF collaborated to design a concept seat for the Kia EV3 Study Car 2.0 that demonstrates how circular material solutions, design-for-disassembly principles and end-of-life considerations could be incorporated into vehicle interiors. The partners combined vehicle development, engineering, product design and materials expertise to explore more circular approaches for seating architecture.
Materials and construction
The concept seat uses BASF materials across cushioning, upholstery and structural components: Elastollan thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) for the headrest, partly from bio-based feedstock and foamed using Whistling supercritical technology; Elastoflex W flexible polyurethane (PU) foam with recycled post-consumer content for cushion and backrest; Haptex polyurethane synthetic leather with bio-circular feedstock for upholstery; and Ultramid CR RC4 recycled polyamide for the seat back cover, with the option to replace the metal back frame with Ultramid for an integrated structure.
Design approach
Alten Korea translated material and disassembly objectives into an integrated seat architecture focused on how component construction and assembly can facilitate future dismantling and sorting. "Study Car 2.0 gives us a practical environment in which to examine end-of-life considerations during vehicle and component development," said Jongkook Lee of Hyundai Motor Group. Gwanghyun Kim of Alten Korea noted the need to treat the seat as a complete system to balance structural, assembly and separation requirements, while BASF highlighted the project as a way to examine interfaces among PA, PU and TPU materials and their relation to end-of-life separation.
Context
Study Car 2.0 continues a series of Hyundai–BASF concept collaborations and advances the partnership by applying end-of-life design considerations across a broader range of vehicle materials and within the seat architecture.
Source: BASF