Toray’s Green Sports Car Is Invitation For Collaboration
Toray’s TEEWAVE AR1, on display at the IAA 2011, seems to be a very rare thing — an environmentally friendly sports car. The next-generation EV concept car was made with environmentally friendly materials developed by Toray itself, with the hope that it could serve as an example for other automakers.
The body of the car is made of thermoset carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), which both keeps the weight of the car down to 1865 pounds (including the 485 pound battery) and helps it perform well during collision testing. Toray calculates that the weight is 2/3 of what it would have been had the company used steel plating instead, and that the CO2 emissions are down by about 9%. Its specifications were designed to be street-legal, as well, so the car can be registered and driven on public roads.
Weight is also a heavy issue when it comes to range, and the lightweight Toray can go 115 miles on a single charge with a top speed of 91 mph (which should help cut down on the number of speeding tickets). The shiny metallic paint on the exterior is actually a metallic film, which is another part of Toray’s alternative technology. The interior also boasts environmentally friendly materials, including recycled polyester, artificial leather, and biomass fiber.
Toray hopes to engage other auto makers and auto parts makers in joint development of further green cars, with the TEEWAVE as proof of what it can do.
Source: Eco Japan
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