ENLIGHT: ENhanced LIGHTweight design

Lightweight materials such as carbon-fiber reinforced plastics have been used up to now mostly in high-performance cars with relatively high cost & low production volumes. Instead the electric cars of the future require lightweight solutions that not only enable specific design requirements to be respected but are also cost effective and sustainable throughout their lifecycle. ENLIGHT aims to accelerate the technological development of a portfolio of innovative thermoset, thermoplastic, bio-based and hybrid materials which together offer a strong potential to reduce weight and overall carbon footprint to enable their viable application to medium-high volume EVs in 2020-25. Through the collaboration of EUCAR, CLEPA and EARPA, ENLIGHT will act as an open innovation platform, integrating valuable insights from other EU research projects with a holistic design approach. Five demonstrator modules of a future EV architecture will be developed, validating the performance of the materials in structurally demanding parts of the car. The demonstration and evaluation of the lightweight potential will be supported virtually with a full vehicle model.

Keywords:Lightweight, Carbon-fibre, Medium-high volume EV, Future EV architecture, Electrical vehicles

Disciplines:Metallurgical engineering