Teijin announced today that it has signed a joint research and development project agreement with Australian AEV Robotics (AEV). In the first two years of the project, Teijin and AEV will develop basic technologies for the envisioned future car.
The agreement aims to create lightweight components and solutions for the next generation of transportation to help enable future mobility solutions.
These components will use Teijin's advanced materials such as polycarbonate resin, carbon fiber and aramid fiber, as well as innovative structural component design composite technology common to Teijin and its group companies, including Continental Structural Plastics.
Teijin will also provide professional thermal management technology to help optimize weight reduction, insulation and sound absorption.
In addition, Teijin will apply its development expertise to support the Solar Team of Kogakuin University in participating in the world's largest solar car competition.
AEV's modular vehicle system will undoubtedly become the basis for the next-generation automotive standard, meeting the "Well-to-Wheel Zero Emission" goal set by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
AEV is also developing an efficient electric vehicle platform and autonomous driving system to enable low-speed electric vehicle (LS-EV) driving, which is used in various fields such as medical, logistics, and industrial and traditional transportation.
Through this joint development project, Teijin looks forward to continuing to support the future development and change of society, especially by providing innovative solutions for automotive applications for advanced materials and structural design required for the next generation of electric vehicles.
In recent years, electric vehicles have rapidly evolved into practical solutions that reduce environmental loads based on the next-generation automotive concepts based on connectivity, automation, sharing, and electric.
In addition, under the concept of mobile as a service (MaaS), the role of cars is constantly changing, and transportation will be considered as an overall service.
At the same time, an increasingly aging society has led to increasingly serious traffic accidents among elderly people in Japanese cities, inconvenience to pedestrian traffic in rural areas, and traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and intensified urbanization.
To this end, METI has established the New Automotive Era Strategy Committee to strengthen the global competitiveness of the Japanese automotive industry.
The department has formulated "zero emissions from oil wells to wheels" as Japan's long-term national strategy to achieve the highest levels of environmental performance in the world, including environmentally friendly processes for the production of automotive gasoline and electricity by 2050.
AEV has developed some innovative ideas and construction solutions that are not provided by major OEMs. AEV's unique engineering capabilities will provide a simple and lightweight solution for the development of automotive chassis, suspension and steering wheels.
Teijin will showcase AEV's modular vehicle systems at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2019 Nagoya from July 17th to 19th.