Currently, vehicle structures for series production mainly consist of metals. Lightweight structures are becoming increasingly important to ensure vehicles utilizing alternative electric drives are competitive. This is one of the driving forces behind the use of CFRP (Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Plastics) in vehicle structures at BMW. However, in crash impact events, the material behavior of CFRP in terms of energy dissipation may be different compared to that of ductile materials such as steel. Notwithstanding, the potentially high specific mechanical properties of lightweight materials like CFRP make these appealing for applications in vehicle structures. In order to take advantage of the specific material properties in frontal impact applications a new approach to energy dissipation whilst maintaining structural integrity is required.

The primary objective in passive safety is to ensure the protection of the car occupants, who are enclosed by the passenger compartment. In order to protect the occupants from potential injury in the case of a crash, the passenger compartment must meet highly demanding requirements. To this end, the front structure is divided into separate energy dissipation zones. Each zone has different requirements with regard to residual load capacity and integrity, both of which increase in proportion to the proximity to the occupant cell. This use of effective energy management ensures the structural integrity of the occupant cell is maintained.