Hexion Helps Lotus Make Its Fastest Production Road Car Ever

Body Shell of All-New 3-Eleven Supercar Features Innovative Glass/Carbon Epoxy Composite System to Reduce Weight and Increase Speed

COLUMBUS, OH/FAREHAM, Hants, UK -- November 16, 2015: A specially formulated glass- and carbon-fiber epoxy resin system from Hexion Inc. (“Hexion” or “the Company), processed at Hexion’s Combined Composite Technologies (CCT) business unit based in Fareham, UK, is helping Lotus take lighter, faster sports cars to the next level. Hexion’s custom resin system, along with CCT’s novel process for producing the composite automotive panels on the Lotus 3-Eleven, have resulted in weight savings of 40 percent over other Lotus models.

“This new process is a first for a production car, and an example of Lotus’ focus on utilizing pioneering new technology and lightweight materials in its vehicles” Tweet this The lightweight body panels enable the high-performance road car to weigh in at under 900 kilograms, with a power to weight ratio in excess of 500 horsepower per ton. The 3-Eleven is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds and can reach speeds of 180 miles per hour.

The key to the lightweight panels is a bespoke resin infusion composite process from Hexion. A preform binder is applied during the layup of glass fiber reinforcement in panel molds to fixate the fiber in the desired shapes. Then the heated mold tools are pressurized and infused with a custom epoxy resin system at high pressure. By closely controlling the temperature, flow and pressure of the resin through the molds, Hexion’s process minimizes the amount of resin required – reducing panel weight – while maximizing quality and finish.

“This new process is a first for a production car, and an example of Lotus’ focus on utilizing pioneering new technology and lightweight materials in its vehicles,” says Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Lotus. “The choice of Hexion’s material technology has allowed extreme vehicle performance targets to be met and helped us realize the 3-Eleven’s dynamic styling.”

“We’re proud to be working together with Lotus to make the 3-Eleven faster and lighter and bring this dramatic car to life,“ says Paul Collier, Managing Director of Hexion’s CCT.