Gordon Murray Group (GMG) has announced a new consortium project working to create a new generation of ultra-lightweight, environmentally friendly vehicle structures. In just three years, the project aspires to create a new vehicle monocoque architecture that is lighter and stronger, alongside 50% less carbon intensive.

‘Project M-LightEn’ (Monocoque architecture – Lightweight and Low Energy) has funding support from Innovate UK and the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The venture is projected to create as many as 160 new jobs across the Gordon Murray Group, and partners Carbon ThreeSixty, Constellium, and Brunel University of London.

Gordon Murray Group will lead the project in its mission to research, design, build and validate a series of digital and physical monocoque prototypes. The target result is the validation of several new solutions paving the way for the development and industrialisation of innovative monocoque structures for a portfolio of new vehicles. With a goal of achieving even greater performance through further weight reduction, the process could enable future Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) vehicles to achieve the lowest lifecycle carbon footprint of any supercar.

GMG’s Strategy and Business Director, Jean-Phillipe Launberg: “The potential for this project is exciting to Gordon Murray Automotive as the company constantly strives to utilise the very latest materials, technologies, and processes to produce its driver-focused supercars. 

“Alongside Gordon Murray Automotive’s niche supercar application, Project M-LightEn will enable decarbonisation across the wider automotive industry by shortening and de-risking the path to market for innovative new materials and processes.”

Targeting a reduction in vehicle lifecycle CO2 by a third or more, the consortium will use AI to optimise designs, while also developing new materials and advanced manufacturing processes. Constellium and Brunel aim to provide STEP-enhanced ultra-high-strength extrusions made from 80% recycled UK consumer scrap aluminium within the monocoque structure. While production of lightweight carbon fibre composite components by Carbon ThreeSixty will achieve near-zero-waste levels in manufacturing and low weight through the highly precise ‘tailored-fibre-placement’ production process.

Prof Geoff Scamans, Professor of Metallurgy at Brunel University of London, said: “This project represents an excellent opportunity to exploit the high-strength extrusion aluminium alloy technology developed in the EPSRC strain-enhanced precipitation in aluminium (STEP Al) programme, funded as an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership between Constellium and Brunel. The M-LightEn project will use the highest-performing aluminium extrusion alloys formulated from recycled end-of-life aluminium using novel thermomechanical processing techniques developed in this five-year programme.”

The first phase of the project is already under way, exploring new materials and ‘joining’ techniques. From late 2027, developments from M-LightEn are projected to be available for low-volume commercial use, with larger, mainstream applications rolled out thereafter.

SOURCE: Gordon Murray Group