Advanced lightweight materials for Automobiles
Cars play a big part in our lives. They transport our kids to school, help grab the groceries, and even give us a lift home from a late night out on the town. That’s why it’s so important to maximize what these vehicles can do — especially when it comes to fuel economy.
Nearly one-third of U.S. carbon pollution comes from our transportation system. By reducing a car’s weight, we can cut down on oil consumption, combat climate change and extend the range of our cars. Did you know that a 10 percent reduction in vehicle weight can lead to an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy? Now you do!
Although cars have been around for more than a century, the material making them up has mostly stayed the same — steel. It’s only been in the last 25 years or so that advanced materials, ranging from aluminum and magnesium alloys to carbon fiber composites, have made their way into mass-produced passenger cars. These lightweight materials can cut a vehicle’s body and chassis weight in half, helping to increase fuel economy as well as the overall range of hybrids, plug-ins and all-electric cars.
Take the Ford F-150, for example. The world’s top-selling truck switched to an all-aluminum body and bed for its 2015 model and is now 700 pounds lighter than before. In addition, lightweight materials also allow cars to carry additional advanced emission control systems, safety devices, and integrated electronic systems without sacrificing performance.
The Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, works with industry, the national labs and academia to improve these materials. Although all of them show promise in reducing vehicle weight, there are pros and cons to each advanced material, ranging from production costs to property deficiencies.
: automobileaward.com
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