The next generation of electric cars will need specially designed steel bodies to maximise their green potential, according to the world’s biggest steel makers.
A new research project, the Future Steel Vehicle (FSV), is experimenting with redesigned structural parts in an electric car’s bodywork, including the sills, front crash structure, roof and battery carrier, to cut weight and save energy.
Engineers are also evaluating various steels to balance their strength in an EV body against the energy used in its manufacture. This will minimise the whole-life energy costs of an EV.
Previous steel industry projects have advanced the design of lightweight steel car bodies, doors and suspensions.
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Re: Electric cars 'need steel bodies'
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Re: Electric cars 'need steel bodies'
Plastics used in packaging are indeed fairly cheap, in volume, not of course weight compared to steel. The problem is that high quality engineering plastics are not cheap. You could have external body panels, mounted on a metal frame for strength, made of cheaper plastics but the finish would not match a metal bodied car. Plastics of course are made from oil so the enviromentalists hate them as much or more than metals especially due to recycling problems.
Re: Electric cars 'need steel bodies'
Since plastic is cheaper than steel, I've never understood why manufacturers haven't switched. The Land Rover Defender is an ideal candidate for a plastic body. It has ALL its strength in its chassis (in fact, the upper body is useless in a rollover, and that's why many have roll cages). I would have thought that there's great appeal in a lightweight, galvanised, spaceframe chassis with plastic panels. Crikey, the thing would go on forever! Put electric motors in each wheel hub and the batteries within the frame of the chassis and you surely have the perfect 4x4 motor car?