Jaguar working with composite materials for its structures

There is, in the United Kingdom, a consortium of academic and industry groups known as Tucana. Those people are developing all sorts of technologies for light vehicle and powertrain structures. Their aim is to reduce the weight of the electric vehicles developped by automakers.

The consortium is led by Jaguar Land Rover and it is developing low-cost vehicle structures working with composite materials such as carbon-fiber and fiberglass instead of heavier steel and aluminum in some areas of the structure. This technology should reduce the weight of a structure by 35 kilos and that would allow the use of bigger batteries with increased range for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Jaguar brand would be the first beneficiary with a redesigned XJ riding on a new modular platform made of such lightweight materials. The car should be unveiled by the end of 2021.

Photo JLR