Researchers at Brunel University London are developing a new generation of ultra-light car parts that will reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions.
The three-year, £7.5m project is a partnership driven by Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), Jaguar Land Rover and others.
Liquid metal engineering experts will work on it from Brunel’s Advanced Metals Casting Centre (AMCC) and Advanced Metals Processing Centre (AMPC) at its Uxbridge campus in West London.
The aim is to perfect incredibly light, thin-walled aluminium die-cast parts for future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, which could be used for shock absorption, chassis parts or door closures.
With BCAST bridging the gap between fundamental research and industry application, they hope to help create lighter vehicles and reduce fuel costs and emissions.
“By casting a vehicle that is lighter, you improve fuel efficiency, because they need less energy to propel them along to the road” said BCAST Director of Programmes, Eric Nyberg. “And better fuel consumption means cleaner air by pumping fewer polluting gases into the environment.”
The research venture is partly funded by the government and by project partners, with £3.7m from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The project is one of seven sharing a massive £62m APC cash injection to make the UK a global leader in low-emissions technology. Put together, the APC says these projects will create or safeguard 2,370 UK jobs and help it save 50 million tonnes of CO2 by 2023.
Ian Constance, APC Chief Executive, said: “The funding demonstrates the depth of low-carbon development that is in the UK. From powertrain, to light-weighting, to energy storage, these new projects will not only lower emissions but secure thousands of jobs, address supply chain gaps, and help the UK become a true global leader in advanced vehicle technology.”
Reported by:
Hayley Jarvis,
Media Relations
hayley.jarvis@brunel.ac.uk