Automotive
Materia works with automotive manufacturers to develop high performance thermosets that deliver weight reduction, improved damage tolerance, excellent moisture resistance, and faster cycle times for a variety of automotive applications.
Next-Generation Automotive Lightweighting
Lightweighting initiatives offer manufacturers a critical competitive advantage in developing more fuel-efficient vehicles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, just a 10% reduction in weight can result in a 6-8% improvement in fuel efficiency.*
Carbon fiber composites can reduce mass by 50-70% over steel and 20-40% over aluminum. Proxima composites have up to 5x the fracture toughness of composites made with conventional infusion resins. The inherent toughness of Proxima allows for improved safety factors and lighter weight composites. Further, the low density further improves weight savings when compared to competing resins.
* 67% of the United States’ annual petroleum production ends up in transportation and 20% of the United States’ CO2 emissions come from fuel used in light duty vehicles. Through the EPA’s GHG emissions standards and the NHTSA’s CAFE standards, target emissions of 163 grams/mile of CO2, or an equivalent 54.5 mpg fuel economy improvements, for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles are targeted for model year 2025.
