Sustainable solution for electric vehicles: Polyurethane composite concept with kenaf fiber, 30% lighter than traditional materials.
Lightweight materials will play an increasingly important role in future mobility, for example, they will further expand the scope of electric vehicles.
Kenaf is a member of the Hibiscus family and grows in Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, India and Africa. The fiber is extracted from the bast fiber of the kenaf plant. As a raw material with good mechanical properties and cost effectiveness, it has recently received more and more attention. In the automotive industry, plant fiber has also attracted increasing interest as an alternative raw material.
Light and hard
The kenaf fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam composite is characterized by extremely low area density, less than 1 kg / m2, and high strength, making door trims made of fiber-reinforced kenaf polyurethane foam 30% lighter than traditional materials. The lighter the material, the farther the car can go after a single refueling or charging.
The developer said, "Our development has made a significant contribution to the design of especially lightweight and sustainable vehicles. This is also a good example of a focus on using alternative raw materials and building a circular economy."