Niche Vehicle Network
The Challenge
A passenger car manufacturer was looking for significant mass reduction within the exhaust system. The objective was to reduce the mass by 50% and be commercially viable via a structured collaborative R&D project approach. A reduction in weight would also provide improved driving dynamics and fuel efficiency whilst reducing carbon emissions.
These outcomes were to be obtained by:
- Using lighter/thinner gauge alternative materials
- Reducing part count and number of joints
- Improving heat shield provision at the same time as reducing weight
- Developing lighter weight joint solutions
The Impact
AML fleet savings on 400 cars (10%):
- Fuel saving, 50,000 litres (£60k)
- CO2 saving, 127 tons (1.3g/Km per car)
- 128g/Km > 95g/Km (4% of the solution)
- Material saving, 5,640Kg (14.1Kg per car) (1% vehicle mass)
