The Assessor Mag Autumn 2024 Web - Flipbook - Page 23
18 months, with the key objective of
helping insurance engineers, Vehicle
Damage Assessors and technicians to
make decisions about mega casting
repair with more certainty.
process and results in the report, but
it’s safe to say that our research team
and Tesla’s engineers are continuing
fruitful discussions around design
adjustments that consider our 昀椀ndings.
But our investigations have also
prompted compelling conversations
with a wider range of stakeholders,
including some of the VMs that aim
to take advantage of mega casting.
It’s well documented that the likes of
Volkswagen and Volvo are getting on
board.
VMs aren’t the only stakeholders
involved in our mega casting research
programme. In the UK and Germany,
we’ve joined forces with insurance
group Allianz to analyse claims data
on vehicles that include mega casting
parts. These insights have been fed
into our ongoing, real-world testing
programme.
When you consider that mega casting
combines anywhere between 70 and
100 individual panels of the body
structure into one large chassis
sub-assembly part, it’s easy to see why
companies are investing in the process.
That’s also of bene昀椀t to bodyshop
teams that can complete work faster
and more cost-effectively.
Beyond manufacturing and repair
ef昀椀ciency, there are several other
reasons for their interest. Among
these is ‘lightweighting’: the need to
reduce the overall weight of vehicles
that are becoming heavier on average
due to the addition of High Voltage
(HV) batteries and the size of vehicles
increasing, among other reasons.
Thus far, the initial signals around what
mega casting will bring to the car parc
and the repair industry are generally
positive. But no major step change in
automotive materials and technology is
without its challenges, and that’s what
we’ve sought to assess.
Our quest for mega casting repair
insights began by putting the Tesla
Model Y under the microscope. We
systematically pulled apart and put
back together a salvaged, damaged
vehicle. Using both non-destructive
and testing techniques, we assessed
the damage and repairability of the
vehicle’s rear mega casting structure.
This allowed us to take a deep dive
into Tesla’s own repair strategy. There
will be more detail on the testing
With VMs accelerating plans to introduce mega casting
into their production, bodyshops need to be prepared
and training is available to assist them.
Facilitating direct
dialogue between
China’s VMs and the
UK repair sector is
another item that’s
high on our agenda.
deal with work such as aluminium parts
repair and riveting will be on a 昀椀rm
footing to deal with mega casting.
Even organisations which are yet to set
up for those areas can quickly catch
up, by tapping into the training and
equipment that is already available to
be applied to mega casting repair.
That may bring a collective sigh of
relief across the repair network, as
well as among insurers who are keen
to understand claims scenarios and
decision-making protocols for these
new vehicles. It’s also true that all the
positive opportunities presented by
mega casting will only come to fruition
if bodyshops and insurers are prepared
for its widespread introduction.
Our report will be the 昀椀rst port of call
for everyone across the value chain to
understand what mega casting means
for the industry. Supported by video
content, the document will feature:
• Mega casting developments,
description and visual examples
• Damageability testing insights
• Repairability guidance
Elsewhere, we are sharing knowledge
and learnings with our counterparts
in other countries via RCAR, a group
dedicated to raising global repair,
safety, and security standards.
Our in-house real-world testing also
builds upon the test protocols of
organisations such as Euro NCAP and
the VMs themselves, providing further
insights into vehicle performance
through rigorous testing.
We widen the range of crash speeds
and resulting damage to gain as
broad a view as possible of mega
casting repair cases that insurers and
technicians may handle from now on.
Much of the groundwork has
already happened
The good news for many bodyshop
businesses is that those who have
already invested in skills and kit to
Thatcham has already spent 18 months
assessing the impact of mega casting on
the industry for its impending report.
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | AUTUMN 2024 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
• A view on future mega casting uses
and its effects on the industry
That 昀椀nal point is important. We can
say with almost complete certainty
that mega casting won’t be a fad; VM
interest and production cycles suggest
otherwise.
For example, we know Tesla and other
VMs are already rolling out front mega
casting panels, in other markets to start
with. It surely won’t be long before we
see full side panel construction using
this new technique.
We’ll continue our research programme
and feed the data into our training
and insight products. As mega
casting progresses, we’re ready to
help the industry remould itself to
cope with growing volumes of the
material in the car parc – but also seize
the opportunities this latest repair
revolution presents.
JOURNAL
A Tesla Model Y was dismantled and rebuilt by the
team at Thatcham to gain a better understanding of the
damage and repairability of a mega casting structure.
23
