Metals and Composites developed for aerospace will be optimised by Jaguar Land Rover for their future lightweight cars
Jaguar Land Rover has recently announced that it is participating in new pioneering research, testing the capability of advanced lightweight metals and composites (used in the aerospace industry) for use in cars. These materials will help in building extremely light yet strong cars, optimised for better efficiency and lower emissions.
The research is a part of a two-year project, and the company will test these materials in different conditions, over difficult terrains and corrosive environments. Samples of these new metal and composites will be built into aerospace-grade sensors, and put onto test vehicles. These cars will be then reportedly be tested for over 4,00,000 km all across North America.
The sensors will monitor the performance of the materials, and the data will be shared with Jaguar Land Rover’s product development team in the UK. Thus, the engineers will be able to forecast the material’s behaviour in the real world, and determine its feasibility for constructing vehicles. JLR has stated that it wishes to ensure that these next-generation lightweight materials meet their standards of high quality and longevity.
Matt Walters, Lead Engineer, Metals And Process Materials For Jaguar Land Rover, was quoted saying: “This research project is a prime example of our commitment to developing lightweight, durable and robust materials for our future vehicles. Using advanced aerospace-grade technology, such as these sensors, is testament to the quality and standards we are achieving.”
This particular research is a part of Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie (GDA), and involves leading aluminium manufacturers and carmakers. The research focuses on the longevity of materials, and making them lighter and more durable. This research builds on JLR’s REALITY Project, which looked into upcycling waste aluminium into premium vehicles, thereby reducing waste as well as emissions.
The result of these research projects could be potentially groundbreaking, resulting in a huge technological jump for the automobile industry. The development of these future lightweight materials is a key part of Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Destination Zero’ vision – a future comprising of zero emissions, zero accidents, and zero congestion.