JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #82 - July 2013 - 3

Welcome aboard
50th year

President and CEO/Publisher:
Frédérique Mutel
mutel@jeccomposites.com

Media director & Editor-in-chief:

Frédéric Reux

Technical editor: Franck Glowacz
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 04
glowacz@jeccomposites.com
Deputy-editor & Graphic designer:
Antoine Morel
morel@jeccomposites.com

Technical & Business developer:
Kim -Oanh Truong
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 74
kim@jeccomposites.com
Thierry Saint-Martin
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 73
saintmartin@jeccomposites.com

Marketing/Communication,
Circulation & partnership:
presse@jeccomposites.com
Sandrine Dumarquez
dumarquez@jeccomposites.com

Subscriptions:
www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/
Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 19
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 08
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Printing: SPEI - Pulnoy (54), France
Legal registration:
ISSN 1639-965X
Dépôt légal : 2eme trimestre 2013

Photos & illustrations:
All right reserved, unless mentionned.
JEC Composites Magazine is published by JEC.

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Total Qualified
Circulation:
32,152 copies
BPA December statement 2012
(print circulation of 19,990 & electronic circulation of 12,162)

“

Editor-in-chief
reux@jeccomposites.com

The aeronautical sector has always been
at the cutting edge of composites innovation, whether in terms of materials, design,
processes or equipment. However, the automotive sector is hot on its heels and is quite
capable of moving ahead in the race, with
new developments being announced almost
on a daily basis. The latest JEC Europe show
was a prime example of this, with many
announcements being made in this sector
by key players such as Arkema, ECM, the
University of Stuttgart, PPE, Momentive
and MVC.
It is hard to tell if it is more a matter of the
automotive sector being incredibly dynamic
at the moment, or else a question of the
composites companies wishing to make inroads there. No doubt it is a combination of
the two, yet the challenge facing composites
companies is by no means to be taken lightly.
Not only is it necessary to take into account
the numerous environmental constraints car
manufacturers are subject to, but also their
productivity and cost requirements.
So this constitutes quite a task, but the
possibilities are there and there are more and
more examples of this at work. Our report
this month should end up convincing you
of the fact, with examples of what has been
produced by Henkel, Asahi, Faurecia, Cetim,
Gaius Automotive, Scott Bader, Ticona,
Componia and Huntsman, among others.
When talk turns to the subject of composites
in the car industry, electric vehicles automatically spring to mind. This is rightfully
the focus of attention. Electric vehicles
are sure, ultimately, to include the highest
proportion of composites, considering the
latest concepts presented on the market.
BMW paved the way with its LifeDrive
concept. The new architecture of the BMW-i

models integrates two distinct and separate
functional units. The first is the Life module,
which is the passenger compartment cell
made out of carbon-reinforced composites.
This choice has enabled the manufacturer to
wholly compensate for the extra weight of
the battery and to lower the centre of gravity.
The second module, called Drive, is made of
aluminium and includes the battery, the electric propulsion system, the drivetrain and the
structural and crash-protection components.
The second example of a finalised project
is the VéLV, the light urban electric vehicle
concept from the French manufacturer, PSA
Peugeot Citroën. The innovation is a complete, self-supporting composite structure
for a light urban electric vehicle designed
and manufactured using thermoset resin
and glass fibre reinforcement. This structure
replaces a traditional steel body-in-white.
The prototype meets industrial feasibility
criteria. At this stage, the use of composite
results in 30 to 40% weight savings compared to an equivalent steel structure.
Despite their high price, at around €40,000
for the i3, over 100,000 requests for test
drives have already been registered by BMW
for its new i3 and i8 models. Electric vehicle
sales forecasts tend to differ widely, from the
highly optimistic estimates of Renault which
expects sales of 2 million electric vehicles in
France alone in 2020, corresponding to 10%
of worldwide sales, to those of the European
Commission, with its more conservative
estimate of 1 to 2% of sales in Europe in
2020. The battle of statistics has no doubt
only just begun, but this is far from the most
important consideration. The essential fact is
that the electric vehicles market is developing all around the world, and that composites are securely ensconced on board.

No82 July 2013 /

“

Frédéric Reux
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 11
reux@jeccomposites.com

jec composites magazine 3

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #82 - July 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #82 - July 2013