EU Green Week Webinar EXELISIS co-organised with EnlightEVs Cluster

During the EU Green Week, we had the pleasure of co-organising a webinar with the EnlightEVs Cluster, where our project FLAMINGo is praticipating in. During the webinar we explored the advancements in technology for sustainable and lightweight vehicles.

We began with an insightful opening statement by Maurizio Maggiore, Senior Expert at the DG Research of the European Commission. Maggiore emphasized the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to lightweighting, considering life cycle assessments, and highlighting the crucial role of recycled materials.

Vanessa Ventosinos and Pascal Lorenzini provided valuable insights from the ALMA project, which focuses on sustainability and lightweighting of electric vehicle structures through strategies that promote reuse and recycling. They discussed the project’s material choices and highlighted their success in achieving a 23% weight reduction compared to the baseline. Additionally, Tom Ligthart introduced the BEVSIM tool, a user-friendly life cycle assessment tool that contributes to the project’s holistic sustainability approach.

Maria Violeta Parra presented Fatigue4Light, an innovative Eco-design methodology aiming for significant weight reduction and the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly technology. This methodology involves thorough life cycle assessments, life cycle costing, and the implementation of eco-design principles. Their application of this methodology has led to a potential 23% lower environmental impact for a demonstrator vehicle through a 30% weight reduction.

Tose Petkov introduced the FLAMINGo Project, which focuses on reducing vehicle weight by enhancing the properties of aluminum to compete with steel. Through a sophisticated nanoparticle production process, they have achieved significant weight reductions in vehicle components. The project also emphasizes thorough testing and addresses recyclability for environmental sustainability.

The REVOLUTION project, in its final year, leverages digitalization to enhance the manufacturing process and improve the quality of car components. Their efforts include advanced lightweight materials and innovative injection molding techniques supported by machine learning and artificial intelligence. They have made remarkable progress, achieving a 55% weight reduction in the backseat panel and a 20% reduction in the lower rear bumper.

Clara Lazaro and Guan Gong presented the LEVIS project, which focuses on developing lighter components for electric vehicles using innovative materials and assembly technologies. They emphasized the importance of end-of-life recycling strategies and environmental and economic impact analysis to support their initiatives. For those that have missed this insightful webinar please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB29MKk8bOA&t=253s