Design and Development of Lightweight Polymer Composite Manifold Using CF-ABS and GFRP for Aerodynamic Energy Recovery in Electric Vehicles

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Year : 2026 | Volume : 14 | 03 | Page :
    By

    Pratik T. Phunde,

  • Abhijeet Malge,

  • Yogesh Bhalerao,

  • Pramod P. Kothmire,

  1. PG Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Academy of Engineering, Alandi(D), Pune, Maharashtra, India
  2. Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Academy of Engineering, Alandi(D), Pune, Maharashtra, India
  3. Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Department of Mathematics & Physics, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UG, United Kingdom
  4. Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Academy of Engineering, Alandi(D), Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Electric vehicles provide a number of advantages over conventional fuel vehicles due to their low to no emissions. High energy efficiency improves the driving performance of Electric vehicles. However, they have to face certain challenges such as the high purchase cost of batteries and lack of battery charging facilities. The major drawback of an Electric vehicle is to store sufficient energy to run the vehicle for a long time. This paper presented a technique to charge the vehicle during its running condition as well as to store the energy generated using renewable sources for the long run. The battery storage capacity is around 1 to 60 kilo Watt hour which is insufficient for covering a one-time traveling distance i.e. around 250 km. The adopted method enhances the traveling range using a secondary power source. This is generated by converting the aerodynamic drag to electrical energy for sustainable transportation. The manifold, a critical flow-directing component, was initially prototyped using Carbon Fiber reinforced ABS (CF-ABS) via additive manufacturing for geometric validation, followed by fabrication in Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) with epoxy resin for the final design, offering a 75% weight reduction over conventional steel while meeting all structural and aerodynamic requirements.

Keywords: Electric vehicles, Battery Charging, Aerodynamic drag, Travelling range, Sustainable transportation, GFRP, CF-ABS

How to cite this article:
Pratik T. Phunde, Abhijeet Malge, Yogesh Bhalerao, Pramod P. Kothmire. Design and Development of Lightweight Polymer Composite Manifold Using CF-ABS and GFRP for Aerodynamic Energy Recovery in Electric Vehicles. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(03):-.
How to cite this URL:
Pratik T. Phunde, Abhijeet Malge, Yogesh Bhalerao, Pramod P. Kothmire. Design and Development of Lightweight Polymer Composite Manifold Using CF-ABS and GFRP for Aerodynamic Energy Recovery in Electric Vehicles. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(03):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=249666


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Ahead of Print Subscription Original Research
Volume 14
03
Received 16/06/2026
Accepted 04/07/2026
Published 15/07/2026
Publication Time 29 Days
53

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