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    Home > Chemicals Industry > Rubber Plastic News > Manufacture of exterior body parts for electric vans from flax and biodegradable resins

    Manufacture of exterior body parts for electric vans from flax and biodegradable resins

    • Last Update: 2022-08-24
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    With the launch of the Volta Zero, the first purpose-built all-electric large commercial vehicle designed for city-centre delivery applications, Volta Trucks is taking a comprehensive approach to sustainability that goes beyond emissions


    .


    Carl-Magnus Norden, founder of Volta Trucks, said: “Sustainability is the focus of our business


    .


    All-electric drivetrain

    All-electric drivetrain

    Volta Trucks is designed to mitigate the environmental impact of logistics and the transport of goods that form the lifeblood of commerce in large cities


    .


    With an all-electric drivetrain and 160-200KWh of battery power, the Volta Zero is capable of running 150-200km per charge, allowing it to deliver goods and packages between cities around the world in a clean and efficient manner


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    By 2025, operators of Volta Trucks will reduce CO2 emissions by around 180,000 tons per year


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    With quiet electric operation, the Volta Zero will also improve noise pollution in cities, allowing drivers to run 24 hours a day


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    Natural and biodegradable body panels

    Natural and biodegradable body panels

    The Volta Zero will be the first road vehicle to use a sustainable natural linen material and biodegradable resin in the manufacture of exterior body panels, the cab, dark body panels and many interior trims are made from natural materials


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    This high-tech linen fabric was developed in partnership with the European Space Agency and is currently used in 16 of the world's most competitive racing series


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    Flax is a sustainably grown crop where the entire plant is utilized: flaxseeds are used to extract linseed oil, fibers are used to make fabrics, and other residues can be used as animal feed or as fertilizer for farmland
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    As a leading global supplier to Volta Trucks, the Swiss company Bcomp uses harvested flax fibres to manufacture its ampliTex technical fabric, making the product a natural and fully sustainable technical fabric
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    Linen fabric made with BComp's patented PowerRibs technology

    The quality of this flax fiber, the thickness of the yarn and the twist are all carefully engineered, while the fabric is reinforced with Bcomp's patented PowerRibs mesh technology, inspired by the principle of leaf veins
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    The result is a completely natural, very light, high-performance fiber-reinforced material that is nearly CO2-neutral over its entire life cycle
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    Panels made with powerRibs technology can match the stiffness and weight of carbon fiber, but reduce CO2 emissions by 75%
    .

    The linen mat was then combined with biodegradable resin by world-class composites manufacturer Bamd in the UK to produce body panels for the Volta Zero
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    This fully bio-based resin derived from rapeseed oil creates a natural brown woven felt
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    Give it a tech-like look by adding a black natural pigment dye to make it darker
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    Using its revolutionary manufacturing process, Bamd enables complete recycling of all tooling materials, including solvent-free water-based sealants and mold release agents
    .

    Advanced material properties for electric vehicles

    Advanced material properties for electric vehicles

    This natural flax composite has many advantages over carbon fiber or other similar lightweight man-made materials
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    Unlike carbon fiber, which is electrically conductive, the flax composite is non-conductive, reducing short-circuit problems that can occur in a car accident
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    In addition, it provides up to 3 times the vibration reduction effect
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    In the event of an accident, the flax composite will bend, reshape and eventually break, rather than shattering like carbon fiber, providing flexible fracture properties without sharp edges, making powerRibs and ampliTex composite body panels particularly suitable for urban mobility vehicles, reducing the risk of sharp debris that could injure people or cause more accidents through punctures
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    At the end of their useful life, the flax composite parts can be incinerated in a standard waste management system for heat recovery, rather than being sent to landfill as the composites they replace are often sent
    .

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