Last year at the Sexy Green Car Show, Axon Automotive introduced the world to their lightweight version of that iconic classic, the Caterham 7, which they dubbed the Eco-M. They said they'd return in 2008 with a more practical design and return they have with a new vehicle which they lovingly refer to as the Axon hatchback. This vehicle, like last year's effort, features a recycled carbon fiber chassis that is key to their plan to use lightweight construction as a means of making mileage gains and, hopefully, winning some of that $10 million Progressive X Prize money.
The carbon fiber in question is produced by "sister" company, Axontex, and is a "patented material manufactured from a flexible carbon fibre braid surrounding a foam core." Not only is it as strong as steel, the company expects manufacturing vehicles with their materials to be less expensive than their metal counterparts because the tooling is from easy to machine, low-cost materials and the time from part design to production can be "reduced to a few days." Hopefully, this will help them stay within their target schedule. Axon hopes to have their "hatchback" on salesroom floors by 2010.
The carbon fiber in question is produced by "sister" company, Axontex, and is a "patented material manufactured from a flexible carbon fibre braid surrounding a foam core." Not only is it as strong as steel, the company expects manufacturing vehicles with their materials to be less expensive than their metal counterparts because the tooling is from easy to machine, low-cost materials and the time from part design to production can be "reduced to a few days." Hopefully, this will help them stay within their target schedule. Axon hopes to have their "hatchback" on salesroom floors by 2010.
[Source: Axon Automotive]
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