Carbon Aluminium Automotive Hybrid Structures (CAAHS)

Gordon Murray Design is building a car body that weighs 30–40% less than a conventional steel-and-fibre structure, using recycled carbon fibre panels bonded to a novel high-strength aluminium frame. This matters because vehicle weight directly determines fuel consumption and lifecycle CO₂ emissions. Current steel monocoques are heavy, and lightweight carbon fibre composites are too expensive for mass-market cars. The project combines a new extrusion alloy from Constellium with recycled carbon fibre composites, aiming to keep costs low while cutting weight dramatically. The iStream manufacturing process already reduces factory setup costs and production energy; this project extends those savings to the structure itself. If the research succeeds, the UK could produce lighter, more affordable vehicles that meet or exceed safety regulations while significantly lowering the carbon footprint of the national car fleet. The impact would be felt in manufacturing supply chains, vehicle assembly lines, and ultimately in the government’s ability to meet its fleet-wide carbon reduction targets. The project is applied engineering, not fundamental science—its value is direct and measurable.