NAA member company new product launch: Far Platform Chassis (FPC) launched at the Advanced Engineering Show
Far-UK has launched the Far Platform Chassis (FPC) at the Advanced Engineering Show at the NEC, Birmingham, 11-12 November 2014. The FPC is a complete lightweight chassis which is fully crash compliant. It is produced in line with the company’s Light and Safe (LiSa) design philosophy.
The chassis is designed for low volume automotive manufacturers and removes expensive chassis design and investment costs. When you consider that development of a chassis can cost £10s of millions, the Far Platform Chassis makes car production a real possibility for smaller companies.
The chassis combines ultra-light weight with super strength. It is simple to assemble and can be easily included in any production line. Each chassis can be created with minimal tooling and in short timescales to a customer’s requirements. It can host different body styles such as an urban car, sports car or a van. It can also accommodate a range of engine types such as electric, hybrid or conventional.
The Far Platform Chassis has been designed to provide a low cost starting point for the development of low weight, fuel efficient vehicles by existing and new vehicle manufacturers.
There are three standard chassis sizes:
- Sub A segment Wheelbase <1.85m
- A/B segment Wheelbase 2.0 – 2.2m
- C/D segment Wheelbase 2.4 – 2.6m
From these options it is possible to create a base for a range of vehicles.
A/B segment chassis weight of 65kg compared to a steel equivalent of 155kg.
Other key features from our Light and Safe (LiSa) Design Philosophy:
- Crash – front crash, side and rear – EU regulations
- Provision for US head impact crush material on A-pillar
- Maximum vehicle kerb weight (including batteries) 550kg (A/B Segment)
- Maximum gross vehicle weight 750kg (A/B Segment)
Far-UK has identified a cost-effective, composites-based method of producing vehicle structures for niche car producers who believe that they cannot afford composite structures. By bringing these alternate, lightweight solutions to the general, affordable market, Far-UK is solving the modern problem of expensive, inefficient cars, by replacing them with greener more personal alternatives.
Lyndon Sanders, Director of Far-UK, said: “Developing a chassis is an expensive business and out of the reach of most companies. The Far Platform Chassis, from our Vehicle Systems Division, will expand the supply of bespoke cars and vans, away from just traditional manufacturers. This super light structure has the potential to deliver record levels of fuel efficiency while meeting stringent crash safety regulations. This is a fantastic time to be in the automotive industry. We are on the cusp of a wave.”
By using a low cost modular carbon fibre spaceframe, a LiSa based car can be both lightweight and personal to the end user. Individual niche car companies can brand the car for their consumers without the expense of a carbon fibre tub for the main body of the car.
This allows different groups of people to get the type and specifications of the car they want from the same basic frame. This is a cheaper, greener and easier way for smaller manufacturers to provide bespoke vehicles.
The Far Platform Chassis is at the forefront of the drive by the automotive industry to reduce the mass of the vehicle by use of carbon fibre. It is part of the revolution to drive carbon fibre “Body in Black” as a volume automotive solution.
