Prodrive is delighted to have received the 2020 award for Sustainability in Composites from Composites UK.
Our Director Of Engineering, John McQuilliam FIMMM, received the award on our behalf of the team in a socially distanced ceremony today from Prodrive Composites CEO Warren Roberts.
Prodrive’s novel use of reclaimed Carbon Fibre (rCF) in both the production of body panels and the associated tooling to manufacture them, has demonstrated the potential of the technology to the automotive industry and Prodrive’s customers.
Partnering with Brahms Electric Vehicles, HPL Prototypes & ELG Carbon Fibre to build a sustainable electric hearse, the tailgate, roof and body sides were manufactured by combining 100% rCF with a liquid resin to create cost-effective lightweight panels. The project was completed in 6 months and now continues with the next phase of the project to put the Nissan Leaf hearse into production.
Prodrive’s approach offers OEMs in the automotive sector the opportunity to reduce their CO2 footprint, increase both their use of recycled materials in production, and the amount of recyclable content within their vehicles. At the end of their life, the panels can also be reworked or recycled to further reduce the amount of waste material, which would otherwise end up in landfill or incinerated.
Prodrive would like to thank the following consortium partners & sponsors: Composites UK Trade Association, the Award sponsors and especially the Niche Vehicle Network, as the research was supported by a grant from the Centre of Excellence in Low Carbon & Fuel Cell Technologies.