Safety. As well as continuing efforts to reduce the number of road traffic accidents, vehicles must be designed and constructed in a manner which mitigates the effect of an accident both on vehicle occupants and those external to it. Materials and structures development is a key enabler contributing to this driver. Not only is the behaviour of materials in crash conditions important, but combining them into smart structures with tuneable, active safety systems has scope for development.

Configurability. Freedom of customer choice is leading towards a greater number of vehicle styles and rapidly evolving models, with fashion being a driver for vehicle change. Materials and structure developments will give better targeted products, through product configurability and flexibility, with attendant opportunities to reduce investment costs and time to market.

Competitive pressures to reduce development and manufacturing cycle times and costs in the drive for greater profitability and return on capital is leading to requirements for highly modular structures applicable over a wide range of platforms. An additional requirement is the need for low investment vehicle/low volume programmes. The development of more cost effective materials and coatings are needed to maintain and improve profitability.

Waste management. The European Directive on End-of-Life Vehicle and similar legislation requires continuing improvement to the ability to re-use and recycle materials, and the number of substances proscribed against use is growing. This acts as a constraint on the take-up and use of new materials, which will need to be vetted for compliance with legislation. Increasing consideration will be given to the environmental impact of all substances used and management “from cradle to grave”. This in turn leads to the need for design for re-use and recycling, with the attendant dismantling issues. The use of polymeric materials, which can offer distinct advantages structurally, will need special consideration.

Emissions reduction. The need for reduced CO2 and pollutant emissions is assisted by the development of lightweight materials and structures, leading to lower energy needs for propulsion. Hybrid and fuel cell vehicles will benefit particularly from materials and structure development for optimisation of the vehicle architecture.

Manufacturing. Materials and coatings developments are required which are environmentally friendly in manufacturing processes.

Developments in new materials, such as composites, polymers, lightweight alloys, smart materials and associated design and processing methods, together with competition to develop innovative structures and materials to improve vehicle performance in terms of weight, stiffness, safety, responsiveness, fuel efficiency, configurability and environmental impact.

UK Government, European and international policy, regulations and legislation concerning transport, energy, CO2, safety and waste management requires the application and development of suitable materials and structures. FASMAT can contribute to requirements to reduce the number of fatalities and serious accidents, and improve the environment by enabling re-use and recycling.

Developments in the infrastructure that affect safety (telematics and physical infrastructure) require suitable materials and structures for deployment.