- CFusion: World’s first one-piece carbon fibre automotive wheel
- Toyoda Gosei: Lighter body sealing products, air bag modules and plastic interior trim products
- CME: High strength, lightweight sandwich panel for load floor of Australian vehicles
- Hirotec: Lighter aluminium hoods and deck lids
Four Green Car Innovation Fund grants will see over $6.2 million awarded to component manufacturers CFusion, Toyoda Gosei Australia, Composite Materials Engineering and Hirotec.
“The components being developed to retool our automotive industry will help cars that are friendlier on the environment and the pocket — in this case, we expect the four projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 133,000 tonnes and significantly reduce fuel consumption,” says Innovation Minister Kim Carr.
CFusion is using funding of around $1.4 million to commercialise the world’s first one-piece carbon fibre automotive wheel, at about half the weight of aluminium wheels.
Toyoda Gosei is using funding of over $2.3 million to introduce and refine technologies for manufacturing lighter components, namely body sealing products and safety system products, such as air bag modules and plastic interior trim products.
CME is using funding of $797,399 to develop a high strength, lightweight sandwich panel to be used in the load floor of Australian vehicles. This product will significantly reduce the weight of the load floor whilst meeting all of the performance requirements for this component.
Hirotec is using funding of over $1.6 million to produce lighter automotive components including aluminium hoods and deck lids using innovative product design to significantly reduce the overall weight of passenger motor vehicles.
Senator Carr said the Government’s $5.4 billion New Car Plan, which includes the Green Car Innovation Fund, was transforming the Australian automotive industry and ensuring significant co-investment from around the world.
[Image courtesy Hirotec.]