iStream® Carbon is being shown for the first time at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.

iStream® Carbon is being shown for the first time at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show and is the chassis technology used for the Yamaha 'Sports Ride Concept' sports car project.

The 'Sports Ride Concept' is an in house Yamaha concept design based on an iStream® Carbon chassis developed at Gordon Murray Design working with the Yamaha team.

iStream® Carbon is the world's first affordable high volume carbon fibre chassis structure bringing Formula One materials and technology within reach of the everyday motorist.

iStream® Carbon sets new standards in the Automotive industry for chassis light weighting, rigidity and safety.

iStream® Carbon is derived directly from Gordon Murray Design's highly successful iStream® Manufacturing System.

iStream® offers manufacturers:

• A lightweight chassis system without the cost increases associated with all current light weighting technologies.
• A large reduction in capital investment.
• A significant reduction in manufacturing energy.
• New levels of product flexibility from a single platform.
• New levels of chassis rigidity and durability and corrosion resistance.
• New levels of safety.

The new system replaces the glass content in iStream® with carbon fibre which offers even more performance for lightweight and rigidity.  Gordon Murray Design Limited has been developing iStream® Carbon for the last 2 years with partners Toray Industries, Innovate UK and ELG, and the process is now fully industrialised.

Unlike any other carbon fibre chassis technology, iStream® Carbon is a fully mechanised system with a cycle time of just 100 seconds.  iStream® Carbon is true Formula One racing technology utilising two carbon skins sandwiching a honeycomb core, unlike many expensive handmade supercars which employ monolithic  (single skin carbon panels). 

The low cost investment and piece part cost of iStream® Carbon components will enable it to be used in sub premium market segments.

iStream® and iStream® Carbon can cater with annual production volumes between 1,000 and 350,000 units per year at a cycle time of 100 seconds and can reduce capital investment by up to 80% reducing manufacturing energy by up to 60% whilst offering new levels of rigidity, corrosion resistance, safety, durability and low cost light weighting.

iStream® and iStream® Carbon represent a major step change in automotive manufacturing.

Gordon Murray Design Chairman - Professor Gordon Murray said:

"Light weighting is the final frontier in the automotive industry fight to lower emissions. There have been great strides forward in engine design, electrical control systems, tyre design and transmission technology, but we are now experiencing a plateau in the advance of technology where the law of diminishing returns comes into play.  

A step change in vehicle weight to enable downsizing of powertrain and components is all we have left in the armoury.  Light weighting is important for internal combustion engined cars, but even more important for hybrids and electric vehicles.  iStream® and iStream® Carbon is that step change and is the world's first affordable, high volume bonded composite structure which sets new standards of safety, rigidity and durability.  

iStream® delivers performance through lightweight.  iStream® Carbon does not replace our existing iStream® manufacturing process, it sits alongside our standard system to open up more market segments for us.  We are currently working on 7 vehicles using our original iStream® technology”.

AUTOMOTIVE STRUCTURAL COMPOSITES

Gordon Murray Design have a history of innovation in structural composites.

Timeline

1974    The first composite rear wing Brabham BT44.

1976    The first use of carbon brakes on a car - Brabham BT45.

1978    The first use of carbon panels in a racing car - Brabham BT49.

1982    The first composite roll over system - Brabham BT52.

1992    The world's first all carbon road car - McLaren F.1.

1992    The first carbon clutch in a road car - McLaren F.1.

1999    The formation of a concept to use Formula One composites technology in high volume at low cost.

2003    The first productionised carbon manufacturing system in low volume - Mercedes McLaren SLR.

2008    The setting up of Gordon Murray Design Limited to develop the iStream® manufacturing system.

2010    The first iStream® vehicle shown - GMD T.25.

2011    The first iStream® electric vehicle shown - GMD T.27.

2013    The first customer iStream® vehicle shown at the Tokyo Motor Show - Yamaha MOTIV.e.

2015    The announcement of the first production customer to use iStream® - TVR.

2015    The showing of a customer sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show - Yamaha 'Sports Ride Concept'.

2015    The announcement of iStream® Carbon.