Prestigious prizes for Swiss cleantech innovations

The sixth BMW Group Supplier Innovation Awards were presented at the BMW Welt in Munich on 17 November 2022. The Newcomer of the Year Award went to Bcomp. The Fribourg-based company has developed new products from flax fibres that could, for example, replace carbon-fibre reinforced plastic: powerRibs is inspired by the veins in leaves and ensures maximum rigidity with minimum weight. This can reduce the overall weight of the vehicle, while using less material. AmpliTex is a second Bcomp product that can replace conventional covering material in a way that is carbon-neutral and creates new and interesting structures for surfaces. By combining both materials, up to 70 percent of the plastic previously used in the interior trim can be saved and up to 75 percent of CO₂ emissions avoided.

The innovative materials from Bcomp were used for the first time in 2019 by BMW M Motorsport for Formula E. Bcomp is also the official BMW M Motorsport partner for the new BMW M4 GT4. The BMW Group now has a stake in Bcomp through its corporate venture fund BMW i Ventures and, together with the start-up, is supporting significant decarbonization in vehicle manufacturing.

Global EnergyTech awards for two Swiss start-ups

Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, today announced the winners of its second annual Global EnergyTech awards, a prestigious and first-of-its kind awards program focused on technology within the energy sector. Swiss start-ups won in two out of seven categories.

• Best Smart City Solutions: Solskin. Solskin is a smart facade with thin-film PV panels. The panels are constantly optimizing their position to either maximize the PV output or to adapt to the occupants' needs such as shading, cooling or view to the outside.
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• Best Solution Energy Trading: SAMAWATT.  Using powerful algorithms, SAMAWATT provides accurate wind and solar power production forecast on hourly granularity for a 72-hour horizon.

The winners for each category receive a showcase at VivaTech 2023, an editorial write-up in WIRED magazine, a 1-to-1 advisory session with one of the judges as well as a workshop with digital business transformation company Publicis Sapient, with advice on scaling and accelerating product or solution.

(Press release / SK)
Photo: BMW M4 GT4