KARIYA – Toyota Boshoku has supplied nonwoven reinforcements made from kenaf for the door trims of Toyota Motor Corporation’s new LQ electric concept car.
They are being consolidated with Covestro’s Baypreg F NF technology polyurethane into panels that are said to be 30% lighter than existing alternatives.
Kenaf is a member of the hibiscus genus grown in regions such as South East Asia, Bangladesh, India and Africa and the bast fibre obtained from it is attracting increasing attention as a cost-effective raw material with good mechanical properties. Toyota Boshoku has employed kenaf-reinforced components for its vehicles for a number of years now.
The kenaf fibre-reinforced polyurethane foam composite for the LQ, however, has an area density of less than 1 kg per square metre and high strength, making it the lightest to date.
It was developed in close cooperation between Toyota Boshoku and Covestro’s recently renovated Japanese Innovation Centre.
“Our joint development makes an important contribution to the design of particularly lightweight and sustainable vehicles,” says Hiroaki Ido, Covestro’s head of polyurethanes application development for transportation in Japan. “It is also a good example of our company’s focus on using alternative raw materials and establishing a circular economy.”
Web: www.toyota-boshoku.com
Web: www.covestro.com.
