The concept electric car PU_PA EV, recently built by Teijin, uses technologies for both Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV). However, the most striking feature about this car is the use of light-weight materials for increasing efficiency. At 437 kg, the PU_PA weighs half of the normal electric vehicle and yet, it can attain a speed of 60km/h and deliver 100km on a complete charge. To achieve this, the core structure design method of carbon composite materials is used. The core structure is formed by placing a pre-formed urethane foam material between prepreg sheets and pressing them with heat. This helps to enhance the rigidity of the carbon sheets. Apart from this, the PU_PA EV also employs other thoughtful touches such as, modularizing the components of the vehicle to reduce the number of parts.
It also has other eco-friendly aspects such as, the use of biodegradable, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to make interior materials, and use of “Teonex” polyethylene naphthalate fiber to reduce noise from tyres. It also uses a “cell form” two dimensional communication sheet which enables devices to communicate wirelessly. Due to this, devices like the GPS system can be placed anywhere on the dashboard. Although it still has a few snags, like the absence of airbags, low intensity of lights, and the low relative strength of the special glass material used, Teijin is working hard to fix these problems and commercialize this car as soon as possible.
[techon]