The European Union’s G + BOARD project Graphene Flagship aims to develop a metal and graphene-free steering wheel and car dashboard, to improve performance, reduce manufacturing costs and reduce fuel costs for customers. They have conductive circuits, sensors, and physical devices made from graphene or reduced graphene oxide to replace copper wires and metal control devices currently used in car dashboards.
Manchester isolated graphene in 2014. Since then, the city has grown into an unprecedented center of excellence, with two world-renowned centers for materials research and commercialization. More than 60 companies, including Rolls-Royce, are already studying the charts. The city must be at the forefront. Miniatures technology. Graphene is the lightest material in the world, 200 times stronger than steel.
The G + board of directors: what is it?
The dashboard must offer a unique user experience while maintaining high quality. Vehicle inventory prices are not expected to increase as the simplified assembly process will reduce costs.
Unlike most current metal dashboards, graphene based dashboards will not increase the overall weight of the vehicle. As the auto industry looks for ways to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, a significant reduction in weight will translate into greater durability. The success of the entire industry.
G + BOARD The highly developed electrical system is created on polymeric materials using laser writing technology. This process reduces the weight of the components and facilitates their recycling. Made entirely of thermoplastic resin and carbon filler.
The advantages of graphene in the automotive industry
The high conductivity and visual transparency of graphene make it a valuable material that can be used in various types of user interfaces, mainly consisting of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and touch screens. On the dashboard of the new car. For drivers and passengers, touchscreen interfaces are becoming as important as driving performance, comfort and safety.
Of course, today sites such as Zemotor, Amazon or Cars do not offer cars with graphene today, but with the popularization of this technology, the amount of content displayed on the screens of commercial vehicles is expected to increase. It is reported that Amazon and Google are developing self-driving car products, as it is expected that potential passengers will increasingly want more visual content options on the website. For this reason, flexibility is an important characteristic of graphene, which can be used to make curved touch screens. This quality opens up many new possibilities for displaying content on the car dashboard.
Removing the metal and replacing it with something lighter is good for the life of the vehicle, including reduced fuel consumption and a simpler recycling process. The auto industry has benefited greatly. Replacing graphene with metal is a small but beneficial step.
The Spearhead Projects, a flagship product of graphene
The G + BOARD project is one of the 11 flagship projects of this type of graph. These pioneering projects represent various scientific efforts aimed at making graphene more commercially viable. Like other Spearhead projects, the G + BOARD project involves various participating institutions and companies, including automotive giant Fiat Chrysler, the Italian National Research Council and the University of Cambridge. Projects
Spearhead aims to develop real products to bring to market, and the final G + BOARD product will be used for further development. Once completed, various prototype dashboards will be integrated into the concept car and delivered to Fiat. Chrysler is ready to adopt.
In 2020, the G + BOARD project defines the technical specifications of the last set of components, the materials of which are important depending on the application and the objectives of the plan. As part of this project, new polymer compounds based on graphene and layered materials have also been developed. These materials were also analyzed at that time.
Improved display technology
Touch screens and the addition of other smart functions further encouraged the development of graphene plates. Most of today’s touch screens are made from indium tin oxide, which is both expensive and durable. Graphene is a much cheaper option. It’s very flexible.
The touchscreen can be subjected to various physical pressures during use, including B. Contact load of the operator’s finger or stylus. Accident. Therefore, it is very important to consider the overall physical resistance of the touch screen.
Graphene is a proven transparent conductor used in touch screens. It has many advantages, including physical flexibility and high structural integrity. It also has higher chemical stability, can be used in a variety of different manufacturing technologies, and has low absorption in a wide range of graphenes. Currently, the most promising form of graphene used for transparent conductive films is a large area solid. Polycrystalline graphene.
Here are five ways this material will revolutionize the automotive industry:
Lightweight for structural components
Graphene can be added to existing metals and polymers for additional benefits, such as: Dramatically reducing vehicle weight while improving fuel efficiency and handling.
Stainless steel coating
The University of Manchester Graphene Coating provides an ultra-hard coating that is impermeable to air, water and chemicals, which means rust can be a thing of the past.
Sensors
Since it is only one atom thick, each atom is exposed to the environment, which means changes can be easily identified. This feature makes it very suitable for unmanned vehicles because even in bad weather conditions the sensor can detect the distance of obstacles.
Electronic
As the most conductive material in the world, it can be used to increase the density of transistors in electronic circuits and increase response time. Additionally, it can also be used as a case for any touchscreen assembly to provide interactivity.
Battery
The lithium-ion battery is currently a very heavy component in electric vehicles. Graphene cannot even penetrate hydrogen atoms but allows protons to flow easily, so it can be used in battery technology to improve efficiency and reduce weight.
There are still some challenges in preparing the material for production. It is important to evenly mix the graphene powder with the polymer, as the graphene block will weaken the finished product and related patents are pending. Using too much graphene will make the component too strong, on the contrary, too much energy is transferred and cannot be absorbed, and too little will make it too weak.
After cleaning, the material can be used in a variety of applications. “It can replace many different parts of a car,” said Ahmed Elmarakbi, professor of automotive composites at the University of Sunderland. “Structural elements, doors, frames, all parts of the steel or aluminum structure can be replaced. “
Related article of interest: “Safety Assessment of Graphene and Allied Materials, Graphene Flagship”