Material benefits
The automotive industry is currently facing a period of great change as various legislation will force the vast majority of production cars to be hybrids or EVs within the next decade. Other legislation will see the remaining combustion engines limited to ultra low emissions. At the same time consumers demand that their new cars are spacious, safe, comfortable and come equipped with advanced and high quality entertainment and navigation systems, all things which add considerable weight.
Hybrid systems also have considerable weight penalties as well as an increase in complexity, which in turn adds further weight. Meanwhile, for cars fitted with combustion engines the regulations are also getting ever tighter, and for 2021 the European Union has set a stringent fleet-average CO2 target of 95g/km for all car manufacturers. This has placed a lot of pressure on them to reduce component weight. Discussions have also started about reducing that to as low as 75g/km in 2025.
Pole position
The European Union’s 95g/km legislation has placed a great deal of pressure on road car manufacturers to reduce weight
All of this has put the motorsport industry in a key position. With its expertise in lightweight materials and highly efficient power units its ideally placed to step in, and many well-known racing teams have started to offer their expertise
