Search Results

In order to achieve commercial success, alternative vehicle structures must offer a favorable balance of performance and economics. Whether for traditional or alternative powerplants, composite structures have the potential for significant weight savings, but to date have been limited to very low production volumes. Consumer demand requires that electric vehicles must have comparable range and acceleration relative to internal combustion engine vehicles. A major obstacle to this goal is the mass of batteries needed for this level of performance. As a result, electrical vehicle design strategies have aimed at significantly reducing the weight of vehicle structures. Examples include the aluminum intensive EV-1 from General motors and the composite bodied Sunrise from Solectria. This paper examines the development of a manufacturing strategy for a lightweight, all composite body-in-white.