Nissan developed a new chassis weight reduction of 10%

According to the "Nikkei Business News" morning report, Toray and Nissan have jointly developed a new technology that uses cutting-edge materials such as carbon fiber to significantly reduce the weight of the main components of the car. The new technology can reduce the overall weight of the car by 10% and improve fuel efficiency by 4 to 5%. In addition, the impact resistance can be up to 1.5 times. Three years later, new technologies will be applied to commercial vehicles. In the context of global fuel efficiency regulations for reducing greenhouse gases, this new technology is expected to accelerate the transformation of steel-based automotive raw materials.

The chassis is the skeleton at the bottom of the car and is an important basic component equivalent to the engine. Previously, carbon fiber was used on the drive shaft that transmitted the power of the engine to the wheels. If the new technology reaches a practical level, it will be the first time to use carbon fiber on the main components of the car.

Taking the advanced passenger car as an example, the current steel chassis weighs about 300kg. If you use a carbon fiber reinforced plastic made of carbon fiber and resin, you can reduce it to about 150kg. The total weight of the car around 1.5t can be reduced by 10%. In addition, in the event of a collision, the chassis is deformed to absorb the impact force. Assuming a collision accident at a speed of 60 km per hour, the energy absorption of the chassis can be increased by a factor of 1.5, thereby reducing the impact on the human body.