At a time of unprecedented change in the automotive industry, a new player is looking to revolutionize the way we drive with a safe, low-cost all-electric vehicle. In fact, XP Vehicle’s “car-in-a-box™” is designed to get more than 100 miles of driving range on a single charge and can be fueled in part by water and energy consumers make at home.
As Scott Redmond, founder and chief technical officer of XP Vehicles, explained in his presentation at the Techtextil North America Symposium in April, “Plant costs for the new car will be just $25 million for a 200,000 vehicles-per-year factory because we use textiles, not metal fabrication.”
Auto Industry’s Perfect Storm
“Changes in technology, the political environment, competitor blockades, regulation, oil prices and consumer preferences have created a ‘perfect storm’ in the auto industry,” Redmond said. “For the first time in two generations, there is a realistic opportunity for new entrants to gain a foothold.”
“We’re part of a new breed of auto makers,” Redmond explained. “A new independent infrastructure is being created with subcontracted suppliers.”
“We’re playing a part in America’s transition efforts,” Redmond said. “We have operations in Detroit, the Midwest and the Bay area. We’re working to reemploy people in the auto industry. As the top players are leaving Detroit, we’re hiring them, along with veterans of the aerospace industry.”
XP has assembled an experienced team of Detroit veterans, including the industrial designer who designed the EV1, featured in the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?,” along with the senior creation staff for the Corvette and the Mustang.
Volkswagen of Electric Cars
Unlike some manufacturers, XP is focusing its efforts on the average consumer, building cars that almost everyone can afford.
“Huge swings in demand for SUVs and hybrids demonstrate that vehicle operating costs are a major factor in consumer purchasing decisions,” Redmond noted. “The XP vehicle is designed to sell for under $20,000, with the lowest total operating cost of any car in the world.”
“Consumers require a minimum driving range of 100 miles, enough for a reasonable commute,” Redmond reported. “By lowering the mass density of the car through textiles, using hub-mount electric motors, so there is no conventional transmission, and continuously charging the battery pack through an auxiliary power unit, we have significantly extended the car’s driving range, resulting in an all-electric vehicle that gets more than 100 miles on a single charge.”
Other applications for XP vehicles could include combat duty - the military has expressed interest in air-dropped light-payload vehicles.
Textiles Make the Difference
One of the most important aspects of XP’s car is that the body is made of inflatable textile membranes. “After a decade of research, we’ve determined that next-generation textiles are the best way to solve the major issues facing electric cars. By replacing metal doors, body panels, hoods and roofs with lightweight fabrics on a carbon-fiber frame, we can build a four-seat, sub-compact with a curb weight of less than 1,400 pounds,” Redmond explained. “Using these materials results in a vehicle that is one-third the weight of a Toyota Prius.”
The textile construction also adds to the vehicle’s safety, with the inflatable membranes functioning as a wrap-around airbag to withstand impacts and damp out the damage of a crash.
Inflatable membrane technology is well proven and widely used in a variety of applications, including zodiac (inflatable) boats used in leisure, commercial and military applications, automotive airbags, Mars landing equipment and even buildings and arenas with textile membrane coverings. The military also uses rock-solid inflatable arches for battleground buildings, maintenance shelters, hangars and supply depots.
“We are actively looking for a final suite of textile providers and suppliers,” Redmond said. “We’re interested in pressure-capable membranes and fabrics – materials that can be coated to retain air pressure. We are also looking for companies that can think outside the box.”
The car’s textile materials will need to be highly durable, puncture resistant, low weight and compliant with the seaming or welding technology being used on the vehicle, including radio frequency welding, thermo welding, integrated bond adhesive welding and radiative systems.
“We are using processes involving laminating and layering different types of fabrics to achieve different forms of durability, strength and environmental resistance,” Redmond explained. “The latest-generation threads are also interesting to us.”
Techtextil North America Offers Hands-On Experience
“2009 was our first time at Techtextil North America and it was incredibly valuable to hear the seminars and see the scope of tools and machines, threads and fabrics, and coatings and processes that exist,” Redmond said. “It was great to go to the tradeshow floor and actually touch the materials and hear stories of how people have solved problems. We had some very interesting dialog about new technology.”
In fact, XP Vehicles was so impressed with Techtextil North America, they are considering displaying an actual beta model car at a future show.
Full Speed into the Future
XP is part of a government loan program for alternative energy vehicles and hopes to be able to start production soon. “Our mission is to enable safe, affordable vehicles with the lowest total cost of operation and the highest power-to-weight ratio powered by alternative energy, “ Redmond said. “Patents are issued and pending, and the opportunity space is wide open. As our tagline says, we are the “vehicles of change™.”
For more information about XP Vehicles, contact Scott Redmond at 510.868.2862 or scott@sr1.org.