Honda's new electric vehicle uses Lanxess' composites to reduce weight

Japanese car maker has introduced the world's first development of hybrid-moulded rear bumper beam in the model using one-shot moulding technology enabled by Lanxess

Honda Motor's Clarity Fuel Cell electric vehicle
Honda Motor’s Clarity Fuel Cell electric vehicle
BS B2B Bureau Tokyo, Japan
Last Updated : Apr 20 2016 | 3:58 PM IST
Honda Motor Co, which recently introduced its latest hydrogen electric vehicle model Clarity Fuel Cell in the market, has incorporated the German specialty chemicals company Lanxess’ lightweight solution in fuel cell vehicle (FCV).
 
Using Tepex, continuous- and long-fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites with PA 6 matrix from Lanxess subsidiary Bond-Laminates, in combination with Durethan, a PA 6 high-tech plastic grade from Lanxess, Honda has introduced the world’s first development of hybrid-moulded rear bumper beam in the model using one-shot moulding technology enabled by Lanxess.
 
“It is our great honour to feature our light weight solution with our Tepex and Durethan in Honda’s latest model of FCV,” said Martin Klocke, head of technical marketing and business development Tepex Auto in the high performance materials business unit at Lanxess about the project.
 
The worldwide automotive industry is facing increasing restrictions on CO2 emissions and therefore automakers actively develop zero emission vehicles such as EV (electric vehicles) and FCV. These trends have been driving the demand for innovative materials and new technologies to make cars lighter. Lanxess has been offering lightweight solutions and technologies to the automotive industry which have proven themselves in various applications worldwide. This has resulted in developing a one-shot hybrid moulding process for making large components out of its plastic and glass fibre composite. The result is approximately 50 percent weight reduction compared to the metal solution and a significant streamlining of the production process.
 
“With this application, we not only realized the first rear bumper beam made out of Tepex and Durethan material, we also have the first serial automotive production in the Asia Pacific region for our composite material Tepex,” said Deniz Guerkan, manager technical marketing and business development Tepex Auto in the high performance materials business unit at Lanxess Hong Kong Limited.
 
In the development, the materials are uniquely composed in several layers in combination with Tepex dynalite, continuous long glass fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite sheets, and Tepex flowcore, random long glass fibre reinforced composite sheets. This combination enables an easy material flow in the moulding process to fill out complicated part geometry, and a greater mechanical strength with a superior characteristic of dynamic energy absorption in such a critical application as a rear bumper beam.
 
Through its HiAnt custom-made services for lightweight design, Lanxess provides automakers and parts suppliers with property testing services. Lanxess also supports the development all the way to the mass-production. The series production of the Honda rear bumper beam is done by Takagi Seiko Co, a leading plastic parts manufacturer in Japan, with advanced plastic moulding technologies. 
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 19 2016 | 3:55 PM IST

Next Story