Weight reduction in electric vehicles is key to achieving emissions reductions, as a lighter vehicle requires less energy to operate, thus increasing its range compared to heavier cars with the same batteries. To this end, the industry is focusing on replacing metal parts with new composite materials that reduce their weight by 50% to 70%.

In this regard, the LIGHTCAR project, coordinated by Industrias Alegre and with the participation of ITERA Soluciones de Ingeniería, Sinfiny Smart Technologies, and AIMPLAS, the Technological Institute of Plastics, and with financial support from the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), is developing new long-fiber thermoplastic composites. These materials offer the advantages of lightness, impact resistance, and rigidity while also being recyclable and processable using efficient conventional manufacturing methods with low waste generation.

In the processing part, the project will also allow the design of a flexible, high-speed production cell for the manufacture of parts, making it possible to integrate electronic components into them.

The LIGHTCAR Project has been financed under the framework of the Strategic Cooperation Projects Program, with co-financing from the EU ERDF funds, within the ERDF Operational Program of the Valencian Community 2014-2020, called by the Resolution of January 14, 2021, of the Executive Vice President of the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), and aimed at strengthening and developing the Valencian Innovation System for the improvement of the production model for the years 2021 to 2023.