NEW-AGE AUTOMOTIVE MATERIALS TO DRIVE VEHICLE LIGHTWEIGHTING
Auto Tech Review|July 2020
The automotive industry globally is witnessing an ever-increasing focus on vehicle lightweighting, essentially aimed at improving fuel economy as well as on emission reduction.
Suhrid Barua
NEW-AGE AUTOMOTIVE MATERIALS TO DRIVE VEHICLE LIGHTWEIGHTING

And to meet all these objectives, new-age automotive materials play an important role. It is important to understand that India has always been a cost-sensitive market and though there is no doubt that it is steadily moving towards being a value-sensitive market, cost continues to be an important criterion towards selection of automotive materials for manufacturing. However, it is important to understand that cost alone is not driving the use of newer raw materials for production of automotive components.

The need to leverage alternate automotive materials has been necessitated by increasing regulatory-mandated changes. The automotive industry has been witnessing a steady adoption of sustainable materials in the construction of various components of vehicles such as body-in-white, chassis, body panels, tyres, wheels, interiors panels, seats and windows. And the objective behind developing futuristic automotive materials has been majorly driven by the focus on bringing about cost reduction of the raw material. Besides the focus on trimming down raw material cost, the larger goal of enabling new-age materials in the automotive space is to improve the total cost of ownership.

GLOBAL TRENDS

Globally, the automotive industry is witnessing a R&D focus on polymer compounds and composites. This increasing push for polymer compounds can be attributed to the fact that these materials have the capabilities to achieve emission reduction, lightweighting and structural rigidity that serve as key attributes for automotive material development. Further, aluminium is also emerging as a promising material, especially in the vehicle body.

This story is from the July 2020 edition of Auto Tech Review.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2020 edition of Auto Tech Review.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM AUTO TECH REVIEWView All
Sound Generation For Enhanced Road Safety
Auto Tech Review

Sound Generation For Enhanced Road Safety

With an ever-increasing number of fully electric and hybrid vehicles entering the market, we are witnessing a change in the acoustic experience in and around the car. The silent nature of the electric powertrain means that other road users miss the familiar acoustic cues that warn them of an approaching vehicle. To remedy this situation, Harman is working on various noise management solutions.

time-read
6 mins  |
August 2020
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFETY CONTRIBUTION OF TODAY'S AUTOMOTIVE HEADLAMPS
Auto Tech Review

OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFETY CONTRIBUTION OF TODAY'S AUTOMOTIVE HEADLAMPS

Good lighting makes a major contribution to road safety. In 2011, the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) presented an evaluation system for headlamps that can objectively assess the quality of illumination and glare limitation. New light sources like LEDs and lighting functions (glare-free high beam, partial high beam) have been available for several years, so that an extension of the proven CIE method is necessary, which takes into account, among other things, changed switch-on and service lives of new lighting functions and represents a generally understandable evaluation system. An evaluation system presented in the following by the Technische Uni versität Darmstadt, which was developed by an encompassing expert commission, is intended to provide representative data and enable an objective evaluation of headlamp performance.

time-read
8 mins  |
August 2020
RAPIDO RE-INNOVATES TO CATER TO POST COVID-19 LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY
Auto Tech Review

RAPIDO RE-INNOVATES TO CATER TO POST COVID-19 LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY

The rapid pace of urbanisation in the country has witnessed cities expanding and subsuming surrounding villages and smaller towns, evolving into Tier II and III cities.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2020
FUNCTIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS TOP PRIORITY FOR FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE DEPLOYMENT
Auto Tech Review

FUNCTIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS TOP PRIORITY FOR FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE DEPLOYMENT

Increasing levels of electronic content in vehicles result in a large amount of software that is required to run the scenes behind the mechanical aspects of a vehicle. Electronic systems in automobiles are part of every section, from the powertrain to comfort and convenience systems as well as all types of safety equipment. This makes electronics and the software running these systems a critical part of the equation for future mobility solutions. In addition, putting standards in place to measure methods of developing, testing and functioning of such electronic systems also becomes highly relevant.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2020
“BYD'S EV STRATEGY TO ENCOMPASS MOST FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IN INDIA”
Auto Tech Review

“BYD'S EV STRATEGY TO ENCOMPASS MOST FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IN INDIA”

The country’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem is grappling with a plethora of challenges even as it is striving to wriggle itself out of the ‘nascent stage’ tag. In an exclusive chat with Auto Tech Review, Zhang Jie Ketsu, Executive Director, BYD India shares his perspective on the current EV scenario and how the company intends to progress faster in the Indian automotive industry

time-read
7 mins  |
August 2020
SAFETY IN ELECTRIC AND AUTONOMOUS CARS – SIMULATION OF COMPLEX CRASH SCENARIOS
Auto Tech Review

SAFETY IN ELECTRIC AND AUTONOMOUS CARS – SIMULATION OF COMPLEX CRASH SCENARIOS

Electric and autonomous vehicles allow for novel seating arrangements and packaging strategies, presenting new safety challenges. Physical crash testing must be supplemented with virtual simulation to ensure vehicle safety on shorter development cycles. With its Simcenter Madymo MBS software, Siemens provides improved runtimes and the Active Human model, enabling accurate and rapid occupant safety analysis in complex crash scenarios.

time-read
6 mins  |
August 2020
KIA SONET – A MIGHTY OFFERING IN THE COMPACT SUV SEGMENT
Auto Tech Review

KIA SONET – A MIGHTY OFFERING IN THE COMPACT SUV SEGMENT

It wouldn't be wrong to say that Kia Motors India has taken the Indian market by storm in less than 12 months of its presence in the market.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2020
NISSAN'S NEW DIRECTION: ARIYA ALL-ELECTRIC
Auto Tech Review

NISSAN'S NEW DIRECTION: ARIYA ALL-ELECTRIC

Marking a key milestone in Nissan’s transformation strategy, Ariya ticks a lot of boxes highlighting the strengths of the global automotive giant.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2020
BETTER SAFETY WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST FOR MOTORCYCLES
Auto Tech Review

BETTER SAFETY WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST FOR MOTORCYCLES

Rear-end collisions with a slower vehicle suddenly cutting into the lane and intersection accidents with cross-traffic are among the most frequent motorcycle accident types. Continental is now developing an emergency brake assist, which detects an imminent collision with a vehicle ahead or with an obstacle, warns the rider and supports him during braking

time-read
7 mins  |
August 2020
ADAS WILL SERVE AS CATALYST FOR IMPROVED VEHICLE SAFETY
Auto Tech Review

ADAS WILL SERVE AS CATALYST FOR IMPROVED VEHICLE SAFETY

The automotive industry across the globe is increasingly focussing on safety.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2020