Thanks to tough new
federal fuel-efficiency rules, automakers must meet a fleet average of 54.5 mpg
by 2025.This document provides a guide to using the ventilation system in your house
to provide adequate fresh air to residents. More efficient engines and electric
powertrains can’t carry the whole load, so carmakers and the federal government
are pouring resources into “lightweighting” auto platforms to meet the Corporate
Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards.
The Energy Department says that reducing a car’s weight by only 10 percent can improve fuel economy by 6 to 8 percent. Three technologies that show promise in lightening vehicles are high-strength steel, carbon fiber composites and aluminum. All of them are supported by $8 million in development awards that the department has doled out to the likes of General Motors, Ford and Caterpillar,Interlocking security cable tie with 250 pound strength makes this ideal for restraining criminals. as well as to two federal laboratories.Selecting the best rtls solution is a challenging task as there is no global solution like GPS.
Drivers worried about running into older, heavier sport utility vehicles on the road might be reassured that these new materials are exceptionally stiff and strong,The stone mosaic comes in shiny polished and matte. and will have to pass muster, including crash tests, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Alan Hall, a technology spokesman for Ford, said it was too early to tell which of the materials would become dominant in carmaking. Ford has used carbon fiber in certain niche applications, like an inner-engine hatch cover for the Ford GT supercar and a hood for the Shelby GT500KR. Earlier this year, the company announced that it was collaborating with Dow Automotive Systems to develop lower-cost carbon fiber composites for mass production. It estimated that 750-pound weight reductions were possible.
Not surprisingly, the steel industry is looking to retain its pre-eminent position in the business.
Ronald P. Krupitzer, vice president of automotive applications at a division of the American Iron and Steel Institute, said about 60 percent of the average car by weight “is steel in one form or another.” Since 2000, the industry has doubled the available grades of steel and increased strength levels by 50 to 100 percent. “The steel available for car companies now is up to five times stronger than the steel used 10 years ago,” he said. “A part that weighed 100 pounds is being replaced by one that’s 75 pounds, with no price increase.”
Krupitzer acknowledged that steel did not yet offer the same weight savings as aluminum, another material in longtime use, but he said it was close and significantly cheaper. He pointed to a recent FutureSteelVehicle study, which found that high-strength steel had the potential to reduce mass by more than 35 percent compared with older steel cars. That contrasts with what Krupitzer said was an estimated 40 percent mass reduction for aluminum.
While aluminum has been used for a century to build lightweight cars, Randall Scheps, director of ground transportation at Alcoa, acknowledged that it cost $600 to $800 more using aluminum to produce what automakers call a body in white — the car’s basic structure before moving parts like doors and engines are installed.
Scheps also said it was difficult for automakers to give up accepted industry practices. “They’ve had 100 years of working with steel,” he said. “It’s a very comfortable material for them.Gecko could kickstart an indoor tracking mobile app explosion.” But he offered a long list of advantages that he said should persuade carmakers with an eye on the CAFE standards to switch to aluminum.
“It performs as well as steel in accidents, and it absorbs twice the crash energy per pound of mild steel,” or older steel, Scheps said. “An aluminum crash rail folds up like an accordion, which is exactly what you want it to do.” He said aluminum also had advantages in corrosion, handling and braking.
He pointed to cars like the 2013 Range Rover, whose all-aluminum body is up to 39 percent lighter than older models, the company has said. The new Cadillac ATS uses many aluminum components, including the engine, hood and wheels. Scheps said the higher cost of aluminum was offset by lighter cars that required smaller engines, suspension and braking components.
That argument is also used in favor of carbon fiber, which is very light and strong but remains expensive. The BMW i3, a battery electric car designed for urban use, has an upper body structure of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic sitting on an aluminum chassis. It is scheduled to appear in late 2013. Although limited-edition supercars like the SRT Viper use carbon fiber, a BMW spokesman, Dave Buchko, said the i3 was “the first volume-produced vehicle that uses carbon fiber for the full body structure.”
The Energy Department says that reducing a car’s weight by only 10 percent can improve fuel economy by 6 to 8 percent. Three technologies that show promise in lightening vehicles are high-strength steel, carbon fiber composites and aluminum. All of them are supported by $8 million in development awards that the department has doled out to the likes of General Motors, Ford and Caterpillar,Interlocking security cable tie with 250 pound strength makes this ideal for restraining criminals. as well as to two federal laboratories.Selecting the best rtls solution is a challenging task as there is no global solution like GPS.
Drivers worried about running into older, heavier sport utility vehicles on the road might be reassured that these new materials are exceptionally stiff and strong,The stone mosaic comes in shiny polished and matte. and will have to pass muster, including crash tests, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Alan Hall, a technology spokesman for Ford, said it was too early to tell which of the materials would become dominant in carmaking. Ford has used carbon fiber in certain niche applications, like an inner-engine hatch cover for the Ford GT supercar and a hood for the Shelby GT500KR. Earlier this year, the company announced that it was collaborating with Dow Automotive Systems to develop lower-cost carbon fiber composites for mass production. It estimated that 750-pound weight reductions were possible.
Not surprisingly, the steel industry is looking to retain its pre-eminent position in the business.
Ronald P. Krupitzer, vice president of automotive applications at a division of the American Iron and Steel Institute, said about 60 percent of the average car by weight “is steel in one form or another.” Since 2000, the industry has doubled the available grades of steel and increased strength levels by 50 to 100 percent. “The steel available for car companies now is up to five times stronger than the steel used 10 years ago,” he said. “A part that weighed 100 pounds is being replaced by one that’s 75 pounds, with no price increase.”
Krupitzer acknowledged that steel did not yet offer the same weight savings as aluminum, another material in longtime use, but he said it was close and significantly cheaper. He pointed to a recent FutureSteelVehicle study, which found that high-strength steel had the potential to reduce mass by more than 35 percent compared with older steel cars. That contrasts with what Krupitzer said was an estimated 40 percent mass reduction for aluminum.
While aluminum has been used for a century to build lightweight cars, Randall Scheps, director of ground transportation at Alcoa, acknowledged that it cost $600 to $800 more using aluminum to produce what automakers call a body in white — the car’s basic structure before moving parts like doors and engines are installed.
Scheps also said it was difficult for automakers to give up accepted industry practices. “They’ve had 100 years of working with steel,” he said. “It’s a very comfortable material for them.Gecko could kickstart an indoor tracking mobile app explosion.” But he offered a long list of advantages that he said should persuade carmakers with an eye on the CAFE standards to switch to aluminum.
“It performs as well as steel in accidents, and it absorbs twice the crash energy per pound of mild steel,” or older steel, Scheps said. “An aluminum crash rail folds up like an accordion, which is exactly what you want it to do.” He said aluminum also had advantages in corrosion, handling and braking.
He pointed to cars like the 2013 Range Rover, whose all-aluminum body is up to 39 percent lighter than older models, the company has said. The new Cadillac ATS uses many aluminum components, including the engine, hood and wheels. Scheps said the higher cost of aluminum was offset by lighter cars that required smaller engines, suspension and braking components.
That argument is also used in favor of carbon fiber, which is very light and strong but remains expensive. The BMW i3, a battery electric car designed for urban use, has an upper body structure of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic sitting on an aluminum chassis. It is scheduled to appear in late 2013. Although limited-edition supercars like the SRT Viper use carbon fiber, a BMW spokesman, Dave Buchko, said the i3 was “the first volume-produced vehicle that uses carbon fiber for the full body structure.”
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