Lotus receives $2 million for a study into efficient, lightweight cars study
By Andrew, 12 Sep, 2010. 0 Comments
2011 Lotus Evora S
Lotus Engineering had recently received $2 million from the state of California to continue a study on lightweight construction materials for future consumer vehicles. The International Council on Clean Transportation has already released the findings from the first part of the study. Lotus R&D concluded that reducing overall mass by 38% can be achieved for production vehicles with a 3% increase in cost, assuming production volume is about 50,000 units annually.
The 3% cost hike and 38% decrease in mass would net a 23% reduction in average fuel economy and it will also cut emissions. The study started with a particular focus on the automotive body.
It determined that the use of aluminum, magnesium, and composite materials lead to favorable results.
Efficiency and driving dynamics are improved when the weight is lowered; however, Lotus’ next step would have to be to make sure that vehicular integrity will meet crash and safety regulations.
It’s believed that Lotus will go back to working with its lightened Toyota Venza prototype.
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