BMW, Mercedes to get 100% recycled aluminum wheels and cut energy use by half

German engineers from Entec-Stracon, supported by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), have developed an innovative casting process called Turbu Pressure Casting for aluminum car wheels. This method significantly reduces energy consumption by half, cuts raw material use by 25%, and eliminates production waste, while producing wheels that are lighter, stronger, and more durable than those made by conventional low-pressure casting. The process forms alloy wheels in just 0.05 seconds by injecting molten aluminum sideways at high pressure, resulting in finer grain structures and improved mechanical properties. Additionally, the wheels can be made from 100% recycled aluminum, enhancing resource efficiency and sustainability. The new casting technique also minimizes post-processing by using contour-near casting to create thin-walled cross-sections, reducing scrap and enabling the reuse of high-quality secondary material. The process consumes only 57 kilowatt hours per wheel compared to the usual 114, potentially saving around nine gigawatt hours of electricity annually per casting machine—equivalent to