MORPHOTEC Reports 34% Mass Reduction in Electric Vehicle Body Structures
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MORPHOTEC, a leading engineering firm based in Aachen, has reported significant advancements in lightweight design for electric delivery vehicles. The company's research, part of the ULAS-E-VAN project, focused on reducing the mass of vehicle body structures without compromising their strength and stiffness. The results of this research, presented in a joint final report, demonstrate a substantial reduction in mass.
The ULAS-E-VAN project, coordinated by Ford-Werke GmbH, aimed to develop alternative load-bearing vehicle structures for electric commercial vehicles. MORPHOTEC, as a key partner, contributed to the simulation-based development of various structural components. The research project, which ran from October 2022, resulted in a mass reduction of 430 kilograms, or approximately 34%, from the original body structure. This reduction was achieved through the optimization of different materials and functions, including aluminum supporting structures, optimized cast components, large-area sandwich panels, and the integration of a load-bearing racking system.
The optimized structure not only achieved a significant mass reduction but also maintained high structural performance. Numerical analysis showed that the optimized structure achieved 40% higher torsional stiffness than the reference structure. Additionally, floor deflection under bending load decreased to just 60% of the original value. The project also investigated the deformation of a floor protection panel under defined local loads, achieving up to 57% reduction in deflection compared to the original geometry.
MORPHOTEC's research subproject focused on the topology optimization of cast structural nodes and load-bearing frame structures. By distributing material according to mechanical loads and design requirements, the company was able to reduce the mass of a die-cast aluminum A-pillar structure from 18.4 kilograms to approximately 14.2 kilograms, a reduction of around 23% while meeting the specified mechanical requirements.
Another focus of the project was the development of a modular, scalable battery housing for electric commercial vehicles. MORPHOTEC investigated different manufacturing and joining processes, the integration of battery cooling, and structural behavior under crash loading. A hot-formed battery tray was manufactured as a technology demonstrator to showcase the potential of these advancements.
The project also explored ways to improve the mechanical performance of structural components in the area of underbody battery protection. By optimizing the stiffening bead geometry, MORPHOTEC was able to reduce deflection under local loads. In the bollard impact test, deflection was reduced by up to 57% compared to the original geometry, without increasing the wall thickness of the floor protection panel.
The economic assessment of the developed body structure indicated that the additional costs of approximately EUR0.92 per kilogram of mass saved, when the racking system integrated into the load-bearing structure was included, were significantly lower than the EUR9 per kilogram of mass saved without the racking system. These findings highlight the economic significance of functional integration, where existing structural components take on additional functions.
The ULAS-E-VAN project, funded under the Lightweight Construction Technology Transfer Programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, involved several partners, including Benteler GmbH, Voxeljet AG, C-TEC GmbH, Altair Engineering GmbH, and RWTH Aachen University. MORPHOTEC's contributions to the project have been incorporated into its engineering services portfolio, providing a foundation for further industrial development.
The research project, ULAS-E-VAN (funding reference 03LB3086), demonstrated the potential for reducing the overall mass of vehicle body structures through systematic integration of structural mechanics, topology optimization, material selection, and manufacturing-oriented engineering. These advancements are particularly relevant for battery-electric delivery vehicles, where reduced body structure mass can provide additional flexibility in terms of payload capacity and energy consumption.