SHD Composites, a Cambium company, has partnered with Shell to develop composite materials for the Triple 10 Challenge, a battery-electric concept vehicle designed to demonstrate how lightweighting can reduce the energy and battery requirements of mass-market EVs. SHD’s composite prepregs are used across multiple structural areas of the vehicle.
The materials are incorporated into the bulkhead, front and rear seat structures, loading deck, inner and outer A-pillar panels, roof panel, and windscreen supports. SHD worked with Shell’s structural design team to develop bespoke material formats that meet the vehicle’s performance requirements while targeting lower embodied carbon.
SHD developed seven unique prepreg formats, each incorporating varying levels of bio-based, renewable, recycled, or repurposed raw materials. The company also developed resin chemistries that eliminate the typical requirement for refrigerated storage, reducing energy use associated with material storage and transportation.
The composite solutions form part of Shell’s three-part Triple 10 concept targets: charging in less than 10 minutes, achieving 10 km/kWh energy efficiency, and limiting the vehicle’s lifecycle carbon footprint to 10 tonnes of CO₂e. The lightweight composite structures are intended to support the energy-efficiency target by reducing vehicle mass and associated battery requirements.
The project also demonstrates a development approach based on rapid material customization. SHD says its technical team worked closely with Shell’s structural designers to develop the seven formats within the tight timelines of the demonstration program. The resulting materials are manufactured through SHD’s global production network and are intended to be scalable for future applications.
The Triple 10 program highlights the role of composite prepregs in EV lightweighting, while also demonstrating how bio-based and recycled feedstocks and non-refrigerated resin systems can be incorporated into composite material development to address both vehicle performance and lifecycle carbon considerations.
Source: SHD Composites | News
