The Beamless Bumper System (BBS) is a proposal for small passenger cars to answer today's important issues that automotive society is facing with: Cost reduction, higher fuel efficiency, and recycle-ability. The innovative aspect of the system is to utilize the ability of expanded polypropylene (EPP) as an energy absorber and eliminate the entire metal beam from the bumper system.
The system is a semi-module system that consists of a fascia, an EPP energy absorber, and brackets for assembly to the body. This semi-module system reduces the number of parts used for the bumper system, which helps cost reduction and improves productivity. The elimination of the metal beam results in weight reduction and better fuel efficiency, while maintaining the key performance criteria. The use of EPP improves the recycle-ability of the system.