Lamborghini is making "heavy" use of lightweight carbon fiber for the new Aventador super car.
With only minor exception, today’s cars are made out of the same building blocks as Henry Ford’s Model T. Sure, the wooden floor boards are gone and there’s a lot more plastic – with a bit of aluminum and magnesium thrown in — but today’s cars continue to rely on steel, glass and rubber for the majority of their mass. And mass is going to be one of the biggest enemies as the industry aims to meet the new federal fuel economy standards.
Getting to 54.5 mpg will require major changes in every aspect of automotive design, industry leaders stress, with a heavy emphasis on what’s under the hood. But a new study finds that the mileage mandates will likely trigger a material revolution, as well.
“Clearly CAFE regulations have confronted the industry, but they’ve also driven focus around technology needs, material demands and cost issues,” said David Glasscock, global automotive technology director for DuPont Automotive, which commissioned the new study.
The survey, which polled 1,000 subscribers to the trade publication WardsAuto found that only 5% of vehicle designers and engineers are “very confident” that the traditional mix of materials will be able to help them deliver a fleet-average 54.5 mpg. Nearly half said they were not or not especially confident.
The study notes that the need for new materials will be felt in all aspects of vehicle design, from powertrains to body structures. The survey respondents focused on higher strength, lighter materials such as aluminum, magnesium and composites.
There’s already been a big shift to aluminum when it comes to engines, as well as wheels – though the steel industry isn’t walking away without a fight. Trade groups point to the development of ultra-high-strength steels that can sharply reduce the amount of mass needed. And the industry is unveiling a light steel wheel during a Northern Michigan trade show, this week, that it believes could serve as a cheaper alternative to the increasingly popular aluminum alloy wheel.
Plastics have become nearly ubiquitous in interior design, but the real push is to extend the use of composites to more demanding structural applications. The new Lamborghini Aventador, for example, relies on plenty of carbon fiber and related materials. The challenge is improving the manufacturing process to drive down the cost of composites that today can only be justified on the most exotic of automobiles.
BMW will make use of carbon fiber on its new i3 and i8 battery vehicles. That’s essential “as a trade-off to offset heavy batteries. Carbon fiber,” notes the Bavarian maker’s Board Member Ian Robertson, “has a significant role to play in the development of motor vehicles in the future.”
The challenge BMW is now working on – making investments into several carbon fiber companies – is to find a way to drive down costs so the materials can be applied to more mainstream offerings. One of the first possible uses could come, BMW insiders hint, in the form of a production version of the Mini Rocketman concept, which was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show last winter. (Click Here for more.)
BMW isn’t alone. Ford’s global product chief Derrick Kuzak says lighter materials will be essential to meeting that maker’s aggressive goal of reducing the weight of its vehicles by anywhere from 250 to 750 pounds in the next generatio or two.
“This is a defining moment,” says DuPont’s Glasscock. And with the new CAFE mandate it’s one that the industry can’t avoid.
Survey: Automotive Industry Speaks Out on Fuel Economy Regulations
Drive to Reduce Dependence on Fossil Fuels Demands Materials Innovation
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Aug. 2, 2011 – The auto industry’s current materials portfolio will need to be augmented to meet new 2025 fuel economy standards, according to a recent WardsAuto and DuPont Automotive survey in late July. Respondents also said materials used in power train vehicle systems will change the most.
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More than 1,000 subscribers to industry-leading publication WardsAuto responded to a survey designed to identify challenges and trade-offs associated with meeting 2025 CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards. Results of the survey, commissioned by DuPont and performed by Paramount Research, Coralville, Iowa, were released during the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminar this week.
The WardsAuto, DuPont survey was conducted just before the Obama administration’s originally proposed 2025 fleet average of 56.2 mpg (4.1 L/100 km) was negotiated to 54.5 mpg (4.3 L/100 km).
“Clearly CAFE regulations have confronted the industry, but they’ve also driven focus around technology needs, material demands and cost issues,” said David Glasscock, DuPont global automotive technology director. “While the CAFE standard is a little lower than proposed, it’s significantly higher than where we are today. Advanced materials, alternative propulsion systems and new technologies must be developed quickly and cost effectively.”
Only 5 percent of the vehicle design and engineers polled said they are “very confident” that currently available materials will help them meet proposed CAFE standards. Nearly half the respondents say the greatest change in materials will be in power train systems, noting that advanced propulsion systems – from downsized engines to hybrid and electric vehicle systems and batteries – will drive new material requirements.
Respondents identified the need for higher strength, lighter metals including aluminum, magnesium; more cost-effective advanced composites for structural components that can significantly reduce weight and high-heat resistant, lightweight materials to withstand higher combustion pressures and temperatures.
“This is a defining moment – not just for materials, but for the industry,” said Glasscock. “And it’s one that breaks the silos of the value chain and is inclusive of the global marketplace.”
DuPont recently opened automotive collaboration centers in Seoul, Korea, Pune, India and Shanghai, China, connecting them globally with facilities in Meyrin, Geneva; Wuppertal, Germany; Nagoya, Japan and several in the Americas to strengthen the industry’s ability to collaborate on ways to reduce dependence of fossil fuel
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In 2010, DuPont launched more than 1,700 new products and invested 22 percent of its $1.7 billion R&D budget on reducing dependence on fossil fuels, new chemistry and materials.
“The combination of collaboration centers and science-powered innovation shows we are ready – and looking forward – to the challenges,” said Glasscock.
In addition to materials challenges, the WardsAuto and DuPont survey explores how new CAFE standards will impact vehicle manufacturing and offers a ranking of the top challenges consuming industry resources.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 90 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.