Solar-powered electric scooter a boost to sustainable urban mobility

German chemical firm BASF and Floatility have partnered for the development of an ultra-lightweight and solar-powered electric scooter. Weighing less than 12 kg and consisting of more than 80% composite and plastic materials from BASF, the scooter will give commuters the sensation of floating and has been aptly named ‘e-floater’.

“This is a perfect example of how we cooperate with our partners to fully unfold the strengths of our innovative materials. The e-floater combines stability, durability and safety with an exciting, functional design,” said Andy Postlethwaite, Senior Vice President, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF.

BASF will provide versatile plastic materials and support the project with its capabilities. Moulding multiple parts to create complex shapes with plastic materials enables design freedom and the streamlined construction of the ‘e-floater’. Various grades of glass fibre-reinforced Ultramid (polyamide) will be used for most of the e-floater’s structure: While the mineral-filled Ultramid B3M6 is used for the parts where low warpage is crucial, the impact modified

Ultramid B3ZG8 combines toughness and stiffness in a way that is favourable for structural parts that have to resist crash-loads. The surface-improved Ultramid B3G10 SI offers high surface quality to the parts despite its high fibre content. The reinforcement for front body and deck will be made with the new Ultracom composite materials to ensure stability.

Together with Ultralaminate B3WG13, a thermoplastic laminate and the adapted overmoulding compound Ultramid B3WG12 COM, BASF also offers its processing and designing support for the development of continuous fibre-reinforced parts. Tires and handlebars made with BASF’s TPU Elastollan will provide a good grip and smooth floating.

(IMA)

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