Lighter, faster, further

Jaguar Land Rover is undertaking research into advanced lightweight composites that will help deliver increased range and greater performance for electric vehicles.
The Tucana project, a four-year programme that aims to advance the UK’s low-carbon technology, is designed to circumvent 4,5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions between 2023 and 2032 by accelerating the mainstream use of electric vehicles.

“The development of new lightweight body structures to complement the latest zero-emissions powertrains will be key as the electrification of our vehicle range continues,” says Marcus Henry, research manager at Jaguar Land Rover. “This project will allow the true environmental credentials of electric vehicles to be realised by enabling the wider adoption of technology.”

Jaguar Land Rover aims to increase vehicle stiffness by 30%, to cut weight by 35 kg and further refine the crash safety structure through the strategic use of tailored composites, such as carbon fibre. Reducing the vehicle body weight will allow the fitting of larger batteries with increased range without impacting on CO2 emissions.
The company expects to have developed a fleet of prototype Tucana test vehicles by 2022.

“Tucana shows how new technology development can be optimised and accelerated with digital engineering,” says Ian Risk, chief technology officer at the Centre for Modelling and Simulations. “Using new digital design, development and manufacturing tools helps to deliver emissions reduction faster.”