Clean Motion Designs Zbee, an Electric Vehicle Using Scott Baders Structural Adhesives

The innovative Zbee three-wheeler is an ultra-light, energy efficient electric vehicle. It was designed by Clean Motion AB, located in Lerum Sweden with its manufacturing site in Trollhattan. The Zbees final design and build specifications included the use of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) body panels in combination with two Scott Bader structural adhesives: Crestabond M1-05 and Crestomer Advantage 30, which were selected as they provide a winning combination of light weight adhesive jointing, build quality and productivity.

The Zbee electric vehicle is very light and compact with dimensions of only 240cm long by 120cm wide and 150cm high. Its ultra-light curb weight of just 230kg has been achieved by the Clean Motion design teams rigorous adoption of their "Lean Engineering" development philosophy, reinventing every part of the product through multifunctional design, simplification and a light weight approach to all aspects from materials selection to methods of assembly. The overall design makes it agile in traffic and easy to park; up to four Zbees can fit in a typical single parking space. Being powered by a 4KW electric motor, it has zero emissions and no engine noise. Clean Motion developed the Zbee as an ideal compact electric city vehicle for short distance urban transportation for up to three people. It has a maximum speed of 50km/h and a range of 45 km (~20 miles) on a single charge; the battery recharges in three hours.

Build Quality

On the build quality side, Crestabond M1-05 and Crestomer Advantage 30 have been specified by Clean Motion as they are proven structural adhesives with reliable long term bond strength performance combined with toughness and durability due to their high elongation and impact strength properties. The Clean Motion design team were so confident in the bond joint performance of both Scott Bader structural adhesives that only a bonded joint, with no mechanical fixings, was specified for joining the FRP body sections together to minimise weight. According to Scott Baders test data, the FRP substrate of a bonded Zbee body panel will always fail before the adhesive joint. All Zbee vehicles are assembled, tested and inspected in Trollhattan by Clean Motion AB.

Shop Floor Productivity

From the start of the production phase in 2011, both Crestabond M1-05 and Crestomer Advantage 30 have been used for the Zbee fiberglass body panels by HJ Kompositmontering AB, the approved local FRP body parts subcontractor in Sweden for Clean Motion. Crestabond M1-05, which is a grey coloured adhesive, is used to bond FRP body sections together, and also for bonding aluminium profiles located in the boot of the car. High productivity is achieved on the shop floor due to Crestabond being a primer- less adhesive,