やられています。軽量化設計は次世代自動車のキーテクノロジーの一つです。省資源・省エネルギーが鍵になります。
Department of Energy Awards More Than $175 Million for Advanced Vehicle Research and Development
August 10, 2011 U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced more than $175 million over the next three to five years to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced vehicle technologies. The funding will support 40 projects and will help improve the fuel efficiency of next generation vehicles. The projects will target new innovations throughout the vehicle, including lighter weight materials, and more. This comprehensive approach will help ensure the technologies are available to help automakers achieve recently announced fuel efficiency standards.
Last month, the President announced historic fuel efficiency standards
which will bring fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon by Model Year 2025 and which will save American families $1.7 trillion at the pump and reduce oil consumption by 12 billion barrels by 2025. Yesterday, the Administration announced of first-of-their-kind fuel-efficiency standards
for work trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles, which will save American businesses who operate and own these commercial vehicles approximately $50 billion in fuel costs over the life of the program.
...said Secretary Chu. "Investments in the next generation of autos will strengthen our economy and lead to a more fuel-efficient, clean energy future."
The selections announced today focus on eight approaches to improving vehicle efficiency:
- Advanced fuels and lubricants
- Light-weighting materials: Five projects awarded to accelerate commercial availability of lighter weight vehicles using advanced materials that dramatically reduce vehicle weight while maintaining the highest safety standards.
- Light weight multi-material prototype: Two projects awarded to design, build, and test a light-weight vehicle that is 50 percent lighter than a baseline light-duty vehicle. These projects are being undertaken as part of the Clean Energy Dialogue with Canada.
- Advanced cells and design technology for electric drive batteries:
- Advanced power electronics and electric motor technology:
- Thermoelectric and enabling engine technology:
- Fleet efficiency:
- Advanced vehicle testing and evaluation:
Light-weighting materials (Area of Interest 2A, 2B, and 2C)
Ø Metal Oxygen Separation Technologies Inc. (Natick, MA)
$6,000,000; This project will develop a new process that enables low-cost, domestic manufacturing of magnesium. Increased availability of magnesium can enable vehicle weight reduction and improvement in fuel efficiency.
Ø Zoltek Companies, Inc. (Bridgeton, MO)
$3,748,865; This project will develop a novel low cost route to carbon fiber using a lignin/PAN hybrid precursor and carbon fiber conversion technologies leading to high performance, low-cost carbon fiber. Increased availability of low cost carbon fiber can enable vehicle weight reduction and improvement in fuel economy.
Ø United States Automotive Materials Partnership, LLC (Southfield, MI)
$3,500,000; This project will validate crash models for carbon-fiber composites that would enable the use of lightweight composites in primary-structural automotive crash and energy management applications.
Ø United States Automotive Materials Partnership, LLC (Southfield, MI)
$3,000,000; This project will design, engineer, fabricate and test an integrated magnesium intensive automotive assembly focused on a 45 percent weight reduction over currently-used steel counterpart structures.
Ø Plasan Carbon Composites (Bennington, VT)
$2,493,000; This project will evaluate and validate models for predicting the crash behavior of carbon fiber composites by building and testing subcomponent structures.
Demonstr
ation Project for a Multi-Material Light-Weight Prototype Vehicle (Part of the Clean Energy Dialogue with Canada) (Area of Interest 3)
Ø Vehma International of America, Inc. (Troy, MI)
$10,000,000; This project will develop and validate a “new passenger vehicle design architecture” which facilitates a 50% weight reduction through the extensive use of lightweight and high strength materials.
Ø Chrysler Group LLC (Auburn Hills, MI)
$10,000,000; This project will develop and demonstrate a cost effective, light-weight, multi material vehicle incorporating technologies targeting 50% weight reduction.