24
July
2019
|
11:24
Europe/London

Graphene 'helping to drive carmaker innovation'

Innovation in car manufacturing could soon be driven by increased application of graphene following the launch of a new supercar.

The all-new Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) Mono R is made using the revolutionary material and represents a higher-performance, lighter and more advanced new generation of the iconic British-made Mono supercar. It is being hailed as 'the first production car in the world to fully incorporate the use of graphene-enhanced carbon fibre in every body panel'.

Graphene has been used to enhance the structural properties of the fibre to make panels both stronger and lighter, while also significantly improving the car's mechanical and thermal performance.

The world-first for BAC follows a successful Advanced Propulsion Centre-funded research and development project into the production-readiness of graphene. The brand, working alongside Haydale - a partner with The University of Manchester's Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) - and Pentaxia, through the Niche Vehicle Network (NVN), is now aiming to launch the advantages into series production.

To mark the launch of the new car Chief Executive Officer of Graphene@Manchester James Baker (pictured) appeared on BBC North West Tonight. He explained that the auto sector is fast recognising the lightweight properties of graphene and is now looking to pioneer applications.

Car manufacturers are already looking to put graphene into simple components... but BAC are looking to put in larger components for real benefits. That's a real revolution.

You only need a very small amount of graphene to make a big difference. Probably less than 1% graphene into a resin or into a foam or into a rubber to make that double-digit benefit. So BAC are taking significant weight out of the car from just a very, very small amount of graphene.

 
James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, speaking to the BBC

Share this page