Strategic materials selection in the automobile body: Economic opportunities for polymer composite design

Previous studies on materials choice in automotive bodies have looked at both composite and aluminum alternatives, but have always found steel to be the most cost-effective option at the production volumes found in the overwhelming majority of vehicle models. This study finds composites to have significant economic potential when considering emerging advances in the polymer composite body-in-white design against the mild-grade steel body currently on the road. With the significant implications of a polymer composite body for vehicle light-weighting and thereby improved fuel efficiency, these results come at a time when they are particularly pertinent. The results presented in this paper are based on a consortium-developed, 25-part unibody design not available to previous studies. Also presented for the first time are data on competing alternatives in fiber composite component assembly and implications of platform sharing across vehicle models. Finally, developments in process-based cost modeling capabilities are presented for (a) fiber-reinforced composite component production, (b) component assembly, and (c) design implications of glass versus carbon reinforcement.