Vehicle Weight Reduction through Bonding Materials – An External Cost Analysis – Cost Efficiency of Bonding Materials in Light Weight Construction

The automotive industry is facing today requirements from the European Union which change the competitive arena for OEMs. Weight reduction for vehicles from bonding material has been evaluated based on commercial products with proven performance. The value of bonding materials to achieve lighter weights has been quantified for the life cycle of the car over the 10 years life time and 150 000 km driving distance. The value of weight reduction will increase due to the increasing cost of fuel, the CO2 penalty which OEMs may face when not meeting 2008 fleet target of 140 gr CO2/100 km. OEM's are affected differently. Some OEM's are today on track to meeting the 2008 target of 140 gr CO2/km. The effect of diesel and engine development is high but also limited due to large investments needed.