Jaguar Land Rover taking advanced materials on two-year road trip

The company said it will use technology developed for the aerospace industry to understand how materials respond to corrosive environments.

Samples of new metals and composites will be built into aerospace-grade sensors and tested over 400,000km across North America, subjecting the advanced materials to all-weather and all-terrain tests. The project will ensure new body materials deliver a longer-lasting, high-quality finish

Recycled aluminium cuts CO2 emissions at JLR

The sensors will continuously measure the performance of the materials and share data with the Jaguar Land Rover’s product development team in the UK.

In a statement, Matt Walters, Lead Engineer, Metals and Process Materials for Jaguar Land Rover, said: “This research project is a prime example of our commitment to developing lightweight, durable and robust materials for our future vehicles. Using advanced aerospace-grade technology, such as these sensors, is testament to the quality and standards we are achieving.

“We are working alongside world-class partners on this ground-breaking research project and will improve the correlation between real-world and accelerated testing as we continue to raise the bar for quality and durability.”

The research forms part of Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie (GDA), which is a consortium of aluminium manufacturers and car makers looking into the longevity of materials and how they can be made lighter and more durable.

Developing future lightweight vehicles, increasing efficiency and reducing emissions is part of Jaguar Land Rover’s Destination Zero vision which is aiming to develop future motoring with zero emissions, accidents and congestion.

The current endeavour builds on the REALITY project, a recycling process which gives premium automotive-grade aluminium a second life, and the development of printed structural electronics, which can reduce the weight of in-car electronics by up to 60 per cent.