Key Findings
The LIFE BIOBCOMPO project has successfully transitioned a plant-fibre biocomposite from the laboratory to commercial production. The material has been industrialised for use in the dashboards of Lancia Ypsilon cars, with roughly 10,000 vehicles on the road featuring these parts since 2022. The project was led by components manufacturer SAPA, in partnership with Sòphia High Tech Group and FCA Italy (now Stellantis Europe) Centro Ricerche Fiat, with Stellantis serving as the end customer.
Technical Details
The developed biocomposite replaces conventional mineral fillers with renewable cellulose fibres. Key technical specifications include:
- Composition: Approximately 20% of the material is non-fossil, derived from cellulose fibres.
- Weight Reduction: Vehicle parts produced with this biocomposite are around 8% lighter than those made with traditional mineral-filled materials.
- Manufacturing Compatibility: The material is compatible with standard injection-moulding machines, allowing integration into existing production lines without major modifications.
Background & Context
The project aimed to address two primary challenges in the automotive sector: reducing overall vehicle weight to lower CO2 emissions and replacing fossil-based and mineral raw materials with natural fibres. A critical component of the project was the validation of the material under real vehicle conditions rather than solely at the laboratory scale. This process was supported by the LIFE Programme, which provided “close-to-market” support to bridge the gap between research and industrial application, including business coaching and access to expert networks.
Significance & Outlook
The project concluded in 2023, resulting in the creation of approximately 36 jobs at SAPA. Following the successful deployment in the Lancia Ypsilon, SAPA continues to develop further formulations based on bio-based and recycled materials for the automotive industry. The project demonstrates that lightweighting via biocomposites is scalable provided the materials can survive real driving conditions and fit existing manufacturing infrastructure.
Get our weekly technology intelligence — free
Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.
Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence
By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.
- Your email and selected fields are used only to deliver the newsletter.
- We never share your information with third parties.
- You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.
See our Privacy Policy for details.
Takes about a minute · Unsubscribe anytime
