Jaguar Land Rover has started the Tucana project. With this research project, which is partly funded by the British government, the group wants to work on the large-scale application of lightweight composite materials in the construction of its EVs. The first test vehicles must be ready before 2022.
Jaguar Land Rover is in charge of the Tucana project. Together with academic and industrial partners, JLR conducts research into the large-scale application of lightweight composite materials such as carbon fiber and glass fiber. The ultimate goal is to increase body stiffness by 30 percent and reduce weight by an average of 35 kilos. The strong materials must also contribute further to safety. JLR says it wants to use the weight reduction to mount larger batteries and thus further increase the range of its EVs. In addition, the weight reduction must also make a positive contribution to driving behavior and performance.
The Tucana project will run for four years. Jaguar Land Rover expects to have the first test vehicles ready before 2022. It is not yet known when the first production models with composite material will be launched on the market. Currently, the Jaguar i-Pace is JLR’s only EV. The group is working on an electric Range Rover and Jaguar XJ, but they have been shelved due to the corona crisis. However, those two models, both of which will be on the MLA platform, will not yet benefit from the knowledge gained in the Tucana project.