Kotači od ugljičnih vlakana postaju artefakt mršavljenja

Valja istaknuti da karbonska vlakna nisu ništa novo u automobilskoj industriji. Već je korišten u karoseriji i mnogim dijelovima automobila. Na primjer, karoserija i šasija BMW-a i3, koji je lansiran 2013., koriste materijale od ugljičnih vlakana.



Currently, as the automotive industry accelerates its transition to electrification, some manufacturing engineering challenges are shifting from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles. Weight reduction, improved aerodynamics, and noise reduction may be the top three non-powertrain challenges that contemporary automotive engineers face when developing electric vehicles. Electric vehicles have far fewer components than ICE vehicles, but they are not necessarily lighter than ICE vehicles. In fact, many EVs are heavier than their ICE counterparts because of their "big" battery packs. For example, the new GMC Hummer electric pickup truck launched by General Motors not long ago weighs as much as 9,046 pounds (about 4.1 tons).



Osim toga, posljednjih godina, veličina i težina kotača mnogih -terenskih vozila i kamioneta značajno su se povećali. Veličina kotača nekih velikih SUV-ova je 22 inča (oko 55,9 centimetara), a neki čak i prelaze 30 inča (oko 76,2 centimetra), zbog čega težina kotača doseže gotovo 100 funti (oko 45 kilograma). Težina kotača automobila doseže 400 funti (oko 181 kilogram). Mnoge automobilske tvrtke opremaju nove automobile većim kotačima i gumama. Na primjer, Chevrolet je sredinom-kolovoza ove godine objavio pregled novog automobila, rekavši da će električni pick-up Chevrolet Silverado baziran na platformi električnog vozila GM Ultium biti opremljen sustavom upravljanja na četiri{12}}kotača i opcionalna velika glavčina od 24 inča (oko 61 cm).



In this case, the weight reduction of carbon fiber on the wheel has attracted the attention of the industry. Australia-based Carbon Revolution (Carbon Revolution) is a technologically advanced one-piece carbon fiber composite automotive wheel manufacturer. Its CEO Jack Dingle said that carbon fiber wheels are 40 percent to 50 percent lighter than aluminum wheels. , A set of carbon fiber wheels can reduce the weight of the vehicle by 88 to 110 pounds (about 40 to 50 kilograms). That's a sizable number, after all the chassis and body engineers struggled to save 1kg.