One of the most hard-hitting challenges the automotive industry is facing at is the massive shift from Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV). Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have therefore been pushed to reduce automotive weight, even more than in the past, to compensate for the high weight of batteries in electric vehicles to increase the vehicles’ range in terms of km or hours of battery life.
The talk, after a contextualization of the problem, will give general hints about advanced solutions and lightweight materials, contributing to make EVs more sustainable and will present some specific ones, being addressed in the H2020 Project LEVIS. This project addresses multi-material solutions based on fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites optimally integrated with metal, which will be produced using cost-effective and scalable manufacturing technologies. Besides, design approaches being applied pay special attention on the use of recyclable materials and on the easy disassembly of components parts to facilitate reuse or recycle.