BAC claims that it is the first manufacturer in the world to develop a car featuring panels made from graphene. It partnered with Haydale Composite Solutions to create rear wheel arches made out of the material, which it is testing on the Mono, the world’s only road-legal single-seater supercar.
BAC chose to test the use of graphene on the rear wheel arches due to the size and complexity of the part, to thoroughly test the manufacturing process and how the material fitted in with the car.
BAC development director and co-founder Neill Briggs, said, “Making significant weight savings and improving body strength will allow us to offer improved performance to our customers. This is the latest in a line of groundbreaking innovations on the Mono, and we were delighted to have worked with graphene composite industry leaders Haydale on this exciting project.”
Ebby Shahidi, Haydale Composite Solutions’ director of aerospace and defense, added, “We are pleased to have worked on the design and development of the graphene-enhanced carbon fiber materials for the BAC Mono. These initial materials have shown some major increases in impact and thermal performance coupled with improved surface finish and it’s pleasing to see these attributes being demonstrated on such a high performance vehicle as the Mono.”
August 9, 2016
