BAC SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES PROOF OF CONCEPT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INTO USE OF NIOBIUM-ENHANCED METALS FOR AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT-WEIGHTING

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has successfully completed the first stage of its research and development project into the use of Niobium-enhanced metals in the automotive industry.

Alongside CBMM, world-leaders in the production and commercialisation of Niobium products, BAC has proved the concept of a novel vehicle chassis incorporating Niobium within high-strength steel tubes.

The result is a chassis that maintains the functional attributes of the baseline structure but saves weight by an incredible 18%. A phenomenal result on paper but even more impressive given the concept’s aim was a 15% weight-save. On top of this, the structure is also stronger and safer.

Niobium is a naturally occurring, readily available, sustainable soft metal that is ductile, malleable and highly resistant to corrosion. It effectively enhances the mechanical properties (elongation, yield and tensile strength) of alloy metals and has been used in a wide range of applications in the aerospace, architecture and energy sectors.

By adding Niobium into the chemical composition of the chassis, BAC has been able to use less alloy metal to meet its structural targets – thus resulting in the impressive weight-saving figures.

The next steps of the project for BAC and CBMM will be to continue examining the phenomenal potential of Niobium in the automotive industry and identify an exploitable route to the wider market.

It starts with the ‘production readiness’ phase of the project, which will culminate in the chassis being cleared for series production on new generations of the BAC Mono supercar.

Neill Briggs, BAC Co-Founder and Director of Product Development, said: “Niobium has the potential to be an absolute game-changer in the automotive industry and our proof of concept demonstrates exactly that. Reducing the weight of the BAC Mono chassis by 18% is a truly remarkable feat, likewise the added strength and safety benefits that Niobium brings. We are very excited by the metal and looking forward to the next stages of development with Niobium and potentially further nano particles.”

BAC is known for being the perfect incubator for the latest innovations in the industry and has proved ground-breaking concepts within its pioneering research and development projects. By acting as a technology demonstrator, BAC paves the way for revolutionary concepts to be scaled up into higher-volume production.

8/4/21