Leilani Münter reveals Tesla race car’s 1,100 lb weight reduction helped by biocomposites
Leilani Münter showed off the new lightweight biocomposite components being used in Electric GT’s Tesla Model S P100D racecar, while in Paris today.
Maker of the biocomposite material Bcomp shared that the hood of the vehicle was constructed from all natural flax fibers instead of the usual carbon fiber mesh. Over the top of the naturally strong and woven Bcomp Powergrid Mesh, Bcomp applied an epoxy to create flexible, high strength and most importantly, an ultra lightweight shell for the car.
To highlight the natural fiber, the hood of the show car has a section showing the exposed fibers that highlight the delicate balance between natural fibers and high-end race technology used in the vehicle.
While at the show, Leilani jumped on Facebook to livestream a video from inside the car, also interviewing several leaders from the Electric GT Team. She shared that the Electric GT team and Bcomp had collectively eliminated an incredible 1,100 pounds from the vehicle, or over 20% of the vehicle’s factory curb weight.
Considering the factory weight of a Model S P100D is around 5,000 lbs and the battery pack weighs roughly 1,200 lbs, the team is looking at producing a race vehicle weighing in at somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,900 lbs, with 2,800 lbs of that being non-battery weight.
Check out the livestream below and let us know what you think about the new Electric GT race vehicles.
Live from Paris with the Electric GT Tesla race car and Bcomp
Posted by Leilani Münter on Wednesday, March 15, 2017
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