fka GmbH

Design and simulation

How do new vehicle concepts, increasing electrification and automation impact vehicle body structures? Which methods can be used to enhance materials and structural efficiency? How can we improve safety? Thanks to our expertise for layout and design as well as our overall understanding of the entire vehicle, we research these and other questions.
In the context of energy efficiency, safety, and driving experience, the focus of the Vehicle Concept and Body Department is set on the development of optimised, safe and lightweight vehicle structures. 
The range of services includes material characterization, the qualification of suitable simulation methods, numerical optimization and CAD design. 
In addition to occupant protection, development activities also focus on compatibility and pedestrian protection as well as vehicle aerodynamics. 
An interior and exterior crash test facility, two drop tower test benches and a pedestrian protection test rig, as well as test rigs for vibration and NVH analysis, serve to qualify materials and components and to validate the applied simulation tools. 
Component, system and overall vehicle benchmarking is also part of the fka portfolio

Material

• CFRP and Aluminium spaceframe
• Injection moulded exterior panels

Advantages

• Three seats, all-weather comfort
• Euro NCAP safety performance
• Weight < 600 kg 
• Acceleration 0-100 km/h < 10 s
• Purely electric range > 150 km
• High energy efficiency (< 80 Wh/km)

Process

• Closed-mould vacuum infusion
• Closed cell foam core

Development status

• Running prototype vehicle

Development partners

Centro Ricerche Fiat SCPA, Virtual Vehicle Institute, Autoliv, HPLP, TU Graz, Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) of RWTH Aachen University, Axon Automotive Ltd, Fraunhofer LBF

Our use cases

epsilon, a lightweight body structure for a small electric vehicle

Within the epsilon project, an innovative electric vehicle concept specifically designed for the typical transport tasks in urban areas has been designed and prototyped. The epsilon vehicle is considerably lighter, more energy-efficient and requires less road space than today's sub-compact cars, still offering the same level of safety. Compared to powered two-wheelers, epsilon provides higher safety, transport capacity and driving comfort in all weather conditions. Offering at the same time an appealing driving performance at affordable costs, the epsilon vehicle addresses not only the ecological and societal, but also the economic dimension of sustainable mobility, defining a new vehicle class by closing the gap between powered two-wheelers, ultralight vehicles (L7e) and conventional passenger cars (M1).