AERO produces materials that cannot particulate and flow into rivers and oceans, compared to the estimated 2.25 million tons of microplastic entering the ocean each year as a result of traditional paint.
05 Jun 2023 | 4053 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Jaguar TCS Racing has announced a host of sustainable refinements to the team’s all-electric race car, the Jaguar I-Type 6, to mark World Environment Day.
Since partnering with Official Supplier, AERO, six months ago, Jaguar TCS Racing has been working with the team to apply their game-changing material technology ...
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Jaguar TCS Racing has announced a host of sustainable refinements to the team’s all-electric race car, the Jaguar I-Type 6, to mark World Environment Day.
Since partnering with Official Supplier, AERO, six months ago, Jaguar TCS Racing has been working with the team to apply their game-changing material technology to its all-electric race cars.
Jaguar TCS Racing, which competes in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, has adopted AERO’s advanced urethane film technology on the black, white and gold asymmetric livery of its race car. Working as an alternative to traditional wrap, AERO’s technology has a streamlined and sustainable manufacturing and application process. This creates minimal impact on the environment with no polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds, emits no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and produces zero carbon dioxide (CO2).
This year’s World Environment Day focuses on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution. AERO produces materials that cannot particulate and flow into rivers and oceans, compared to the estimated 2.25 million tons of microplastic entering the ocean each year as a result of traditional paint.
The Jaguar I-Type 6 is a Gen3 challenger, the world’s first net zero race car, competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world’s first net zero carbon sport. With batteries made from sustainably-sourced minerals and the new Hankook tyres made up of 30% sustainable materials, the race cars are designed to demonstrate that high performance and sustainability can co-exist. Jaguar TCS Racing has taken that a step further by utilising AERO’s wrap alternative, manufactured at low temperatures with minimal infrastructure, which can also be recycled or upcycled at end of life, contributing to a more circular economy.
While Jaguar is committed to becoming an all-electric modern luxury brand from 2025, it also aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its supply chain, products and operations by 2039. Jaguar TCS Racing provides a platform for testing and developing innovations that will benefit future road vehicle development and enable sustainable transformation.
The Jaguar TCS Racing team, along with its portfolio of partners, uses the competitive nature of Formula E to push boundaries and discover even the smallest of gains. The precision-engineered material technology from AERO applied to the race car features ultra lightweight properties and removes the need for multiple layers of coating, offering a reduction in mass.
The properties in AERO’s clear coat layer eliminates micro abrasion and offers maximum resistance to stone chip, environmental effects, erosion and a number of chemicals and reagents.
AERO’s unique technology is based on patented and patent-pending chemistries that provide better toughness compared to other coating systems. The properties in AERO’s clear coat layer eliminates micro abrasion and offers maximum resistance to stone chip, environmental effects, erosion and a number of chemicals and reagents. What’s more, AERO's construction and thickness can be optimized to balance weight and durability across a vehicle, using thicker film for high wear areas and lightweight films for low wear surfaces.
James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal, said: “At Jaguar TCS Racing, we are constantly exploring ways of improving sustainability without compromising performance. We include methods of using less energy and fewer resources in everything that we do. Working with AERO is revolutionary, as it has provided us with a solution which outperforms a traditional car wrap in every way – it’s lighter, more durable and has dramatically less impact on our planet. And this hasn’t comprised on the appearance either, our two race cars make their mark on the grid with their distinctive black, white and gold asymmetric livery. On World Environment Day, I’m proud to also say that AERO’s product does not contribute to microplastic ocean pollution and that our partnership provides another proof point of how sport can inspire change.”
Rossella Cardone, Director and Head of Sustainability Office at JLR, said: “It is fantastic to see the Jaguar TCS Racing team partnering with companies like AERO who are driving sustainable innovation in paint technology, an area traditionally associated with high environmental impacts. Developments like this support the wider business’ Reimagine strategy, which includes our commitment to become carbon net zero by 2039.”
James E. McGuire Jr, CEO of AERO Sustainable Material Technology, said: “We originally developed AERO for the aerospace industry as a durable, lightweight, decorative solution to replace paint. When we pivoted to the automotive industry, we were able to dial in the performance and aesthetic value within motorsport. But the real value driver that has excited OEMs is our products’ sustainability and contribution to a more circular economy. Our business is committed to eliminating VOCs, CO2, and other harmful pollutants, while maintaining — or enhancing — performance and aesthetics for the ultimate customer experience. And Jaguar TCS Racing is a natural fit for innovation, performance, and environmental sustainability.”