22 March 2022
As automotive manufacturers offer more and more electric vehicles (EVs), and as the industry continues its trend to larger diameter wheels, creative solutions need to be found to combat the added weight of EV batteries and large diameter wheels.
Ars Technica spoke with Ash Denmead, Carbon Revolution’s Design and Engineering Director, about the impact that carbon fibre wheel technology would have on future vehicles, particularly electric vehicles.
The company already supplies wheels for Ferrari, Ford and General Motors, and is scaling up to provide wheels for a wider range of vehicles, including a 23-inch SUV wheel program for a new OEM customer coming online soon.
For efficiency, add lightness
While the performance benefits of reducing unsprung weight are well understood – and why carbon fibre wheels are supplied on some of the highest performing production cars available today – the greater efficiency of carbon fibre wheels benefits electric vehicles by adding range.
As wheels get larger, weight savings between aluminium and carbon fibre become more pronounced, making the benefits of opting for carbon fibre even greater.
Taking advantage of their light weight and high strength, designers can create highly aerodynamic wheels and still realise significant weight savings – extending the vehicle’s range by up to 5%. On top of this, they reduce a vehicle’s noise, vibration & harshness (NVH) which is all the more important in an electric vehicle which has a silent powertrain.
See the full article here.
