Environmental sustainability requirements have a strong influence on automotive design and manufacturing. After all, according to the EPA, the average passenger vehicle emits roughly 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. To mitigate this unfortunate circumstance, governments around the world are rolling out ever-more-stringent sustainability targets for vehicle manufacturers to meet. These targets fall into areas like carbon-neutral manufacturing, zero-emissions vehicles, and facilitating a circular economy.
One of the most effective ways to meet sustainability targets in vehicle design is to reduce the weight of the vehicle itself, in a process called “lightweighting”. Doing so offers a number of benefits around fuel efficiency and product longevity, leading to more environmentally attuned vehicles that better meet both governmental and consumer expectations.
But sustainability targets aren’t the only reason manufacturers and designers are looking for ways to save weight in their cars. Lighter vehicles can achieve superior performance and passenger safety than their heavier counterparts – with better manoeuvrability, more energy-absorbent materials, and less strain on braking mechanisms.
In this article, we’ll discuss how automotive designers and manufactures can achieve lighter vehicles.
Leverage breakthroughs in material science
One of the primary reasons vehicles tend to be so heavy is the prevalence of steel throughout the body and chassis. With developments in material science, designers are less reliant on steel to sustain the strength and resilience needed for a car to function safely.
Two materials in particular are revolutionising vehicle design through lightweighting possibilities: aluminium and magnesium – 66% and 75% lighter than steel, respectively. While both metals are already prevalent in car design throughout the industry, they are noticeably weaker and more brittle than steel. And because their use cannot come at the expense of customer safety, designers have faced significant roadblocks and limitations.
Thankfully, scientists have been hard at work altering the compositional structure of both metals to increase durability, strength, and potential energy abortion. One notable example comes from Monash University, where researchers have discovered a way to shape pure magnesium at room temperature. This has significant implications for the manufacture and design of large vehicle components that have traditionally required heavier materials.
Plastic is another material that’s making it easier for designers and manufacturers to create lighter cars.
Thermoplastics are especially valuable in this context, as they can be shaped to fit the mould for many specialised parts and components, while offering strength and longevity. At tesa, we can work with you to maximise your use of thermoplastics and other materials. We can develop an adhesive tape solution that’s tailored to the needs of your materials and vehicle designs. You can learn more about this and our broader attachment part mounting solutions here.
Build lighter vehicles with tesa tape ACXplus
When it comes to factors that contribute to vehicle weight, one area that’s often overlooked is how external parts and components are secured to the main body. Many traditional methods entail the use of disproportionately heavy or unsightly components, such as welding, or are simply complicated and hazardous, such as adhesives that require primers.
To help vehicle designers mitigate the weight impact of their part attachment methods, we have developed ACXplus Primerless line – the lightest solution ever to reduce weight taxes on the vehicles you are engineering. To learn more about ACXplus Primerless line, read our recent article or see our product page here.
We’ve also written a free ebook to help automotive manufacturers evaluate suppliers, stay abreast of key megatrends, and improve their product development process. Get your copy by clicking the button below.
