BAC has unveiled a version of its street-legal Mono track car fitted with body panels made from graphene.
The advanced material is similar to carbon fiber but consists of sheets just one atom thick. Its strength is derived from the arrangement of the carbon atoms which form rigid, honeycomb-like structures within the material.
The material is both lighter and stronger than carbon fiber and on the Mono features on the rear wheel arches. The company says the graphene it uses is 20 percent lighter than carbon fiber but around 200 times stronger than steel.
BAC chose to test the use of graphene on the rear wheel arches due to the size and complexity of the part, helping to thoroughly test the manufacturing process and how the material fitted in with the car. It developed the technology with fellow British firm Haydale Composite Solutions.
Unfortunately, BAC is yet to confirm when graphene panels will be offered on a production version of the Mono. The company is, however, already offering carbon fiber wheels for the car.
The first company to use graphene on a production model was Spania GTA, which last year unveiled a version of its Spano supercar fitted with the advanced material.
