Productionisation of Advanced Modular Passenger Autonomous Seating

Project Information

PAMPAS

Grant agreement ID: 827005

DOI

10.3030/827005

Project closed

EC signature date 2 August 2018

Start date 1 September 2018

End date 28 February 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

GORDON MURRAY DESIGN LIMITED
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PAMPAS (Productionisation of Advanced Modular Passenger Autonomous Seating)

Reporting period: 2018-09-01 to 2019-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Executive Summary

The automotive industry is under financial pressure to cut emissions from cars, with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers threatened with penalties if they do not meet EU legislated targets. One approach to achieving this is to make vehicles lighter. Reducing the weight of a small family car by 5% can lead to an increased fuel efficiency of 2%. Conventional car seats can weigh up to 35kg each, whereas Gordon Murray Design’s composite iStream® Lightweight Seat weighs only 12kg, potentially a huge weight saving. The manufacture of composite car seats has traditionally been expensive due to their unsuitability for mass production but the revolutionary iStream® Lightweight Seat manufacturing process overturns this convention, utilising a composite sandwich panel structure and metallic frame combination, which gives a 40% reduction in CAPEX and lower design and development costs compared to conventional car seats.

Gordon Murray Design’s (GMD) patent protected iStream® Lightweight Seat fills a real gap in the market by being exceptionally lightweight, affordable and designed to fit into all types of cars from SUVs to two-seater sports cars.

Reducing the weight is also of benefit to electric vehicles (EVs) as well as internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, lower weight means lower emissions and for EVs it means greater range for a given battery size or a smaller (cheaper) battery for a given range, both of which are highly desirable for customers.

The principal objective of this project is to determine the economic feasibility for the production of the already technically proven iStream® Lightweight Seat and the development of a business case which supports a plan for series production and sales into EU territories and beyond. Manufacturing business model options were investigated alongside the identification and engagement with potential component suppliers within EU countries for varying production volumes.

The PAMPAS Phase 1 project has provided an excellent opportunity to further progress the commercial and marketing aspects of GMD’s new and iStream® Lightweight Seat and as a direct result of this study a potential Tier 1 Supplier (partner) for the series manufacture of the product has been identified.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Objectives

To determine the economic feasibility for the mass production of light-weight passenger seats and the development of a business case which supports a plan for sales into EU territories and beyond.

Description of Work

• To undertake a study to establish existing market trends and growth expectations of seating systems within the automotive industry and our potential market share.
• Investigate and assess manufacturing business model options e.g. in-house, sub-contracting, licensing, joint venture.
• Marketing and communications strategy. How to reach and attract our potential customers.
• Identification of and engagement with component suppliers, from EU countries, capable of supporting varying production volumes.
• Preparation of a detailed cost model for all aspects of production at various volume levels.
• Investigate regulatory requirements for key territories globally.

The Phase 1 project has proved successful in completing all Deliverables (see above Description of Work) within the allocated time frame and budget.

The success of the Phase 1 project provides confidence that GMD has a profitable business proposition.

GMD have identified a world-wide Tier 1 Supplier as a potential good ‘fit’ for the business and numerous discussions, both technical and commercial, have taken place over this period to assess whether a partnership arrangement would be mutually beneficial to both organisations.

The Phase 2 project will enable GMD to take the iStream® Lightweight Seat from its current prototype (validated) form to a series production product and exploit the market opportunity with an innovative new lightweight seat.

See Final Report attached.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our customers, OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, are under immense financial pressure to reduce CO2 emissions and meet EU legislated targets. In the EU, OEMs face financial penalties for emissions beyond these targets.

Cost reduction is a major challenge for seat manufacturers, forcing companies to experiment with new and innovative designs, materials and manufacturing processes that maintain performance and comfort whilst reducing costs.

Since the introduction of CO2 targets for the automotive industry and resulting penalties, the use of lightweight materials now delivers a monetary benefit, which justifies an increased use of lightweight materials for the future. However, lightweighting poses a significant challenge, with an industry target of €17 additional cost for every kg weight saved .

One way of cutting vehicle emissions is to reduce the weight of a vehicle’s components. Vehicle seats are generally heavy and/or expensive, not to mention complex to manufacture. However, reducing weight tends to come at a cost. Our product overcomes all of these issues

The iStream® manufacturing technology is a radical rethink on the conventional automotive manufacturing process and the way in which vehicle systems are designed, developed and produced. This technology is transferable to other areas of the vehicle and seating systems has proven to be an excellent example of how a simple tubular frame coupled with bonded composite sandwich panels can provide a strong and lightweight structure capable of satisfying all relevant ECE requirements.

See Final Report attached.

Exploded view of the iStream® Lightweight Seat