From Racetrack to Road: Why the Future of Cars Depends on Unseen Inspections
A new era in automotive design is dawning, and with it comes the critical need for advanced automotive composite inspection. Innovators like Aptera are pushing the boundaries of efficiency with their solar electric vehicle (sEV), which, as detailed in Composites World, features a radical “Body in Carbon” (BinC) structure. Composed of only six primary parts made from advanced SMC materials, the vehicle is a powerful demonstration of modern design. This reliance on new materials makes a robust process for vehicle composite inspection more important than ever.
The Hidden Challenge of Advanced Materials
But creating these revolutionary vehicles presents a new challenge. Unlike steel, the strength of a composite part lies in its flawless internal structure. A microscopic void or weak bond can create a failure point that’s completely invisible. Inspecting automotive composites, therefore, requires looking deep inside the material. With the Aptera’s entire body integrity relying on just six pieces, a new level of automotive composites testing is required to guarantee strength and safety before a vehicle ever sees the road.
Where Passion for Racing Meets Professional Integrity
For some, this challenge is a personal passion. Take Jeremy Heinks, owner of Composite Inspection and Consulting (CICNDT), and his colleague Oscar. When they aren’t pioneering NDT solutions, you might find them at a Utah racetrack with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). For a gearhead on the track, there is no greater trust than in your equipment. The rigorous, informal car composite analysis a racer performs before a race comes from the same mindset: a deep-seated need to verify material integrity under stress.
Utah’s Hub for Advanced Automotive Inspection
That same trackside obsession with safety is the driving force behind the work at CICNDT and the state-of-the-art AIMM Center in Ogden, Utah. Understanding that the future of vehicle design depends on verifiable quality, they have created a hub dedicated to automotive composite inspection. The AIMM Center is where the rubber truly meets the road for NDT, providing the specialized tools and expert knowledge to see inside advanced automotive structures.
For a component like the Aptera’s BinC tub, a simple visual check isn’t enough. A comprehensive composite vehicle part inspection would require a suite of technologies like those at the AIMM Center. High-resolution CT scanning could map its internal structure, while thermography could verify bond integrity. This is the level of scrutiny required to ensure a lightweight design is also a safe one.
Driving the Future Forward, Safely
Whether it’s a dedicated race car or a hyper-efficient sEV, the path forward is paved with composites. The safety and reliability of these next-generation vehicles depend entirely on the unseen, high-tech world of automotive composite inspection. It’s a field where a passion for performance, honed on the racetrack, is ensuring the cars of tomorrow are built to last.
References
- Source Article: Mitchell, S. (2024, July). SMC composites progress BinC solar electric vehicles. Composites World.
- CICNDT & AIMM Center: AIMM Center Opens in Ogden, Utah: Transforming Aerospace NDT with Cobot Technology and Advanced Materials Testing. (2025, April 15). CICNDT. Retrieved from https://www.cicndt.com/aimm-center-ogden-utah-opens/
- NASA Utah (Racing Club): NASA Utah – We Love Race Cars. National Auto Sport Association, Utah Region. Retrieved from https://www.nasautah.com/
- Automotive NDT: How Is NDT Used in the Automotive Industry? Fujifilm. Retrieved from https://ndtblog-us.fujifilm.com/blog/ndt-in-the-automotive-industry/