Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICTprotECOlight – Sustainable and Weight-Optimized Underbody Protection Structures for Vehicles with New Drive Technologies
In the protECOlight project, sustainable and simultaneously series-capable value chains for novel fiber-reinforced lightweight protection structures in vehicles with alternative drive concepts are being developed. The central goal is to save CO2 through the use of sustainable plastics, achieve weight reduction of components during the service life, and increase resource efficiency within the component manufacturing process. A holistic, interdisciplinary approach based on the key technology of lightweight design is chosen for this purpose. The project consortium consists of partners along the entire value chain, including Audi AG, ElringKlinger AG, the Fraunhofer Institute ICT and IGCV, and Rühl Puromer GmbH. This brings together core competencies from research and development, material and semi-finished product manufacturing, and end applications.
Motivation
The protECOlight project develops protection structures for novel drives such as battery-electric (BEV) or hydrogen-powered (H2) vehicles using ecologically sustainable plastic lightweight construction. Currently, the state of the art consists of metallic protective structures found in series vehicles. For BEVs, these are large components that cover a battery located in the vehicle's underbody, protecting it from damage. This results in dimensions of about 3 m² and a weight of approximately 30 kg for an aluminum design. The application-specific development of sustainable plastics to substitute this design offers significant potential to reduce CO2 emissions in all four life cycle phases – material and component manufacturing, usage phase, and end-of-life. It is essential to find an optimal compromise between ecological sustainability, mechanical properties, processability, and cost structure.
Overall Project Goal
The project name protECOlight combines three essential pillars of the project's objectives. The focal points of resource efficiency and environmental and climate protection in terms of ecological sustainability and a comprehensive LCA assessment throughout the entire product life cycle of plastics are central to the work represented by "ECO." Another pillar is the basic idea of material and concept lightweight design, represented in the title by the addition "light," addressing the goal of improved material utilization with reduced weight in automotive construction. The applications in focus are lightweight protection structures in the underbody area, which necessitate the addition "protection" in the project's name. The primary function of these components is to protect sensitive energy storage systems of novel drive technologies, thus significantly contributing to vehicle safety and the acceptance of new drive technologies in the market. For lightweight designs to be established as an innovation driver in broad industrial applications, innovative lightweight solutions must meet the prevailing conditions regarding efficiency and cost-effectiveness in series production. To achieve the largest and most long-term potential for CO2 savings, protECOlight pursues two approaches for lightweight protection structures in the underbody area. One is the use of a polyurethane (PUR) sandwich structure for sporty vehicles with an increased focus on lightweight design. The other is a combination of thermoplastic tapes with long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (LFT) press mass based on polypropylene as a sandwich structure for large-volume, cost-driven vehicle projects. Both approaches are systematically analyzed and assessed for their market readiness within the project, from the material and process to the demonstrator. This includes evaluating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the developed lightweight solutions and assessing their economic viability. For this purpose, the development and use of sustainable systems (e.g., recycled polypropylene and bio-based PUR systems) is already focused on at the material level, considering possible series production, ensuring a closed loop of lightweight materials, and being comprehensively assessed throughout the entire product life cycle.
