LONDON: South Korean company Hankuk Carbon, manufacturers of advanced carbon materials, has invested in Dymag Group Ltd, a leader in lightweight wheels for the automotive industry.
Dymag is a leading British manufacturer of carbon hybrid wheels in the aftermarket segment for luxury and high-performance road and track cars and motorcycles.
In a statement, Dymag said with the latest investment, Dymag will be able to accelerate time-to-market and enable economies of scale in the manufacturing of carbon hybrid wheels.
Focusing on a uniquely scalable and localised approach, the two companies will bring state-of-the-art lightweight composite wheels to more mass-market performance vehicles rapidly, cost-effectively, and sustainably.
Lighter, stiffer and stronger than a traditional cast alloy wheel, Dymag’s carbon hybrid wheels bring huge advantages to all vehicle sectors, particularly electric vehicles.
Tom de Lange, CEO of Dymag said: “Lightweight carbon hybrid wheels bring a vast array of benefits for vehicles - particularly EVs - with no development costs. Thanks to new investment from Hankuk Carbon, combined with the funding we have already received from the UK government and Puma Private Equity, we are now entering the next exciting phase in our journey, bringing our game-changing lightweight wheel technology to a wider audience of global automotive customers.”
Moonsoo Cho, chairman of Hankuk Carbon Group said: “The core objective of our strategic partnership with Dymag has always been to accelerate the growth in the global market potential for high performance carbon hybrid wheels. Building on our existing relationship, we have now become a strategic investor in Dymag, and with this investment we will be further leveraging Hankuk’s expertise in composite materials and industrialisation to automotive customers around the world.”
Designed for high-performance vehicles, from sports cars to SUVs and pickups, the patented carbon hybrid wheel, which combine a carbon outer rim with a forged aluminium or magnesium centrepiece, delivers multiple gains for OEMs, the aftermarket and customers alike.
As well as being 40% lighter than a traditional cast alloy wheel, Dymag’s carbon hybrid wheel brings major gains in reduced unsprung mass and reduced moment of inertia, with less energy required to accelerate and brake.
Another dynamic benefit is a reduced gyroscopic force thanks to the lightness of the wheel itself, which means less steering effort is required. Strength and durability are also greatly improved.
These gains can make a significant difference on any high-performance vehicle, but especially so for large SUVs and pickups, and in particular EV versions of these, where Dymag’s technology can represent a saving of up to 10kg per corner, 40kg total, in unsprung mass versus cast wheels.
Furthermore, this weight-saving has the potential to enhance EV range by around five percent, equating to an extra 25km on an EV with a typical 500km range.
Carbon fibre’s superior flexibility can also reduce Noise Vehicle Harshness (NVH) too – a huge boon for engineers developing an EV where the ICE is no longer masking unwanted noises.
Carbon hybrid wheels also bring aesthetic advantages for OEMs; a forged aluminium or magnesium centrepiece offering greater design flexibility than a solid carbon fibre wheel.
Dymag offers a full range of 18-to-23-inch carbon hybrid wheels, to which it will add new 24-inch and 25-inch examples later this year.
