Solvay plans to build all-plastic car engine

Solvay is developing the Polimotor 2 all-plastic automotive engine, to be tested in a race car next year, demonstrating its unique and industry-leading advanced specialty polymer technologies in light-weighting through metal replacement.
 
The collaborative project will ultimately set the stage for innovative breakthroughs in future commercial automobiles. The engine typically is made of metal and the single heaviest part in a car. Polimotor 2 aims to develop an engine weighing about 90 lbs (41 kgs) or 40 percent less than today’s standard production engine of 138 to 148 lbs (63-67 kgs).
 
Solvay is the industry leader in specialty polymers materials for the automotive industry, which is increasingly relying on its ultra-resilient materials and solutions to replace metal parts in exterior, interior and underhood applications, enabling the industry to comply with tougher fuel and emission regulations.
 
Augusto Di Donfrancesco, president of Solvay's specialty polymers global business unit, said, “The Polimotor project is yet another pioneering opportunity for Solvay Specialty Polymers to bring its innovations to the forefront and to expand its lightweighting offerings. Through this partnership we will further challenge our boundaries, showing all the more that our high performance polymers offer solutions in reducing weight, lowering fuel consumption and that they are a key contributor in diminishing CO2 emissions."
 
In Polimotor 2, Solvay will replace up to ten metal engine components - including the water pump, oil pump, water inlet/outlet, throttle body, fuel rail, cam sprockets and others - with parts made from seven of its high-performing thermoplastic materials.
 
For making Polimotor 2, Solvay will use high-performing thermoplastic materials such as Torlon polyamide-imide (PAI), Amodel polyphthalamide (PPA), KetaSpire polyetheretherketone (PEEK), AvaSpire polyaryletherketone (PAEK), Radel polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), Ryton polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and Tecnoflon VPL fluoroelastomers.
 
The Polimotor 2, four-cylinder, double-overhead CAM engine will ultimately be installed in a Norma M-20 concept car in 2016 to compete at the racing of Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, the US. Solvay contributed a major role toward the success of the first Polimotor engine, conceived by US engineer Matti Holtzberg in the early 1980s.