Pour un véhicule électrique, plus le véhicule est léger, moins il y a besoin de batterie pour des performances équivalentes (autonomie notamment), donc plus le véhicule est léger (cercle vertueux), et moins il est cher, donc pourra se développer plus largement.
Même sur un véhicule électrique, où la récupération d'énergie peut opérer, la commercialisation d'un véhicule léger est un point central.
Teijin vient de présenter un véhicule de 437 kg. Teijin is a global technology-driven group operating in five main fields: synthetic fibers (aramid fibers, carbon fibers and polyester fibers); films and plastics; pharmaceuticals and home health care; trading and retail; and IT and new products.
The Teijin Group unveiled on March 30 a super-lightweight electric concept car made with proprietary materials and technologies including carbon fiber composites, polycarbonate resins and bio-derived polyester. Weighing only 437 kg, less than half that of conventional electric vehicles, the PU_PA EV (as in “pupa electric vehicle,” a reference to metamorphosis) embodies Teijin's vision of what a vehicle will look like on the market in five to ten years.
The vehicle is being exhibited in the Teijin Mirai Studio, a showroom located in the same building as Teijin's headquarters in Tokyo that presents the group's leading-edge materials and technologies.
Capable of 60 km/hour and a cruising range of 100 km, the PU_PA EV offers the functionality and structural integrity of a practical automobile. As a symbolic electric concept car, it is infused with proprietary advanced technologies:
Weight Reduction
| - | Body incorporating a core structure made of carbon fiber composite material. |
| - | Windows made of polycarbonate resin with a heat absorbing function weighing only half as much as glass. |
| - | Modularized parts made with single-piece molding, etc., reducing total parts to about 20. |
Biotechnology
| - | Interior items (seats, floor mats, etc.) made with bio-derived polyester. |
Reduced Environmental Burden
| - | Metal-toned TEFLEX PET film, used as an alternative to chrome plating. |
| - | Low-noise tire cord made with TEONEX polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) fiber. |
Electronics
| - | Multi-device communication using CELL FORM two-dimensional communication sheet. |
Going forward, Teijin will use its innovative concept car as a marketing tool to showcase the group's environmentally responsive technologies and customer-oriented solutions.
The Teijin Group is cultivating markets and developing technologies in four strategic sectors: automobiles and aircraft, information and electronics, healthcare, and environment and energy. The Teijin Technology Innovation Center and the Teijin Composites Innovation Center were established in 2008 to pursue joint-development initiatives with customers. Along with the Plastics Technical Center, the facilities have enabled the Teijin Group to enhance its “customer lab” program of solution-oriented collaboration with customers.
The Mobility Business Project, a department overseen directly by the CEO, was established in April 2009 to support business expansion in the automobiles and aircraft sectors, focusing on the development of materials and technologies for lightweight, hybrid and electric vehicle designs.
