The US Office of Naval Research has been tapped to spearhead a new public-private research effort that will bridge the “Valley of Death” between cutting edge foundational research and the marketplace, all in the name of commercializing the next generation of ultra lightweight metals. Among other things, that translates into a huge cut in the weight of a typical car, leading to greater battery range for EVs and a spike in fuel efficiency for gasmobiles.
Actually, the initial goal of the new Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Institute (LM3I) is to develop “the kinds of materials that can make an armored vehicle strong enough to withstand a bomb blast yet light enough to be carried on a helicopter,” but the long term effort is also aimed at making up ground in the emerging global market for advanced materials.
Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/16/lightweight-metals-to-be-focus-of-new-lm3i-institute/#bkPAB0viaq7AgJPH.99
