Automotive Solution

The MOMA Concept Car and High Cycle CFRP Molding Processes

Automotive Materials     Vol.10 No.2 December 2013 Issue #29

  • ※Photographs and diagrams have been omitted for copyright reasons.

  In creating the MOMA concept car, Challenge put to the test its wealth of knowledge on the optimal form for each CFRP part, gained through many years of race car production.

  The MOMA CL01-M is a two-seater sports car (Figure 2) with mid-mounted engine and transmission. Use of CFRP components wherever possible to keep weight down achieves levels of performance from the 3-liter engine equivalent to a 5-liter machine. Tipping the scales at just 1,030 kg, the MOMA weighs about the same as a 1-liter compact car (Chart 1).

  The weight of the MOMA body has been drastically minimized by substituting CFRP for heavier materials in parts requiring strength and rigidity, especially in the engine compartment, which is exposed to high temperatures, and the front and rear suspension mounts, which support the weight of the vehicle while absorbing counterforce from the road surface (Figure 4). Including exterior body panels, about 150 kg of CFRP has been used in the vehicle.

  A wide range of MOMA parts utilize CFRP, including interior components such as switch panels and the center console as well as covers for interior mirrors, rearview mirrors, wheels, and engine, not to mention the steering wheel and headlight reflectors.


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