Solvay has taken a leadership role in the development of the Polimotor 2, demonstrating the company’s unique and industry-leading advanced specialty polymer technologies in lightweighting through metal replacement.
The collaborative project will ultimately set the stage for innovative breakthroughs in future commercial automobiles. Automotive engines are typically made entirely of metal and are the single heaviest part in a car, but as fuel efficiency is a key trend in car design, OEMs are exploring metal replacement technologies to achieve increasingly competitive benchmarks.
Polimotor 2 aims to develop an engine weighing 138-148 lbs (63-67 kg), or about 90 lbs (41 kg) less than today’s standard production engine.
Solvay is the industry leader in specialty polymer materials for the automotive industry, which is increasingly relying on the company’s ultra-resilient materials solutions to replace metal parts in exterior, interior and under hood applications.
Augusto Di Donfrancesco, President of Solvay’s Specialty Polymers Global Business Unit, said: “The Polimotor project is yet another pioneering opportunity for Solvay Specialty Polymers to bring its innovations to the forefront and to expand its light weighting offerings.
“Through this partnership we will further challenge our boundaries, showing all the more that our high-performance polymers are solutions in reducing weight and lowering fuel consumption, and that they are a key contributor in diminishing CO2 emissions.”
The Polimotor 2, four-cylinder, double-overhead CAM engine will ultimately be installed in a Norma M-20 concept car by 2016 for competitive racing at Lime Rock Park, Conn.
Solvay will replace up to 10 metal engine components with parts made form seven of its high-performing thermoplastic materials.