Imagine a car's front end that acts like a smart cushion, changing how it absorbs impact depending on what it hits. Instead of using heavy steel, it uses recycled-friendly plastics and alloys to keep the car light. This means cars are safer in accidents but use fewer resources to build.
Vehicles need to be lighter to increase efficiency and meet environmental goals, but reducing weight often compromises crash safety and compatibility between different vehicle types.
Prototypes of Base and Adaptive Front-End Structures (BCFES/ACFES) using carbon-reinforced thermoplastics and aluminum alloys, along with a set of future crash scenarios for mixed traffic.
If you are a car manufacturer dealing with strict weight targets and safety regulations — this project developed a smart front-end structure that achieves a 42.7% FES weight reduction while improving crashworthiness. This allows for lighter vehicles without sacrificing passenger safety.
If you are a material supplier dealing with the shift toward green manufacturing — this project developed carbon-reinforced thermoplastic composites and hybrid components. These materials support circular economy principles and are optimized for automated production.
If you are an autonomous vehicle developer dealing with unpredictable mixed-traffic crash scenarios — this project developed adaptive front-end structures (ACFES) and ADAS specifications. This ensures compatibility and safety when automated cars interact with human-driven vehicles.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on eco-design and improved manufacturing technologies to enhance market attractiveness and competitiveness, though specific price-per-unit reductions are not listed.
The project includes prototyping of structural elements and the optimization of process parameters for manufacturing, indicating a transition toward industrial application.
Based on available project data, the consortium includes 6 industry partners and 5 SMEs, suggesting that IP is distributed across the automotive value chain for commercial exploitation.
The project defines technical performance requirements and future crash scenarios to meet or exceed future vehicle demands for safety and structural integrity.
The project period ends on 2025-08-31, with deliverables focusing on prototyping and validation of the selected structures.
The consortium is highly industry-oriented, with a 50% industry ratio (6 partners) and a strong SME presence (5 partners). Spanning 7 countries and 12 partners, it covers the full automotive value chain, combining the scale of a leading European car manufacturer with the agility of SMEs and the research depth of 5 research organizations.
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