Mass v. Efficiency: Hitting The Automotive Sweet Spot
What will drivers have to pay for better fuel economy? On May 9, NEMPA and MIT will present Mass v. Efficiency: Finding The Automotive Sweet Spot—the third in their annual series of discussions of leading-edge automotive issues.
Cars and light-duty trucks face a Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard of 35.5 MPG by 2016 and 54.5 MPG by 2025. Engineering, aerodynamics and electrification are improving the efficiency of America’s fleet, but meeting these goals will require substantial reductions in vehicle weight. Putting cars on a diet means moving to materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber and plastics—light and strong, but expensive to buy and use. Weight reduction also affects a vehicle’s performance, its active and passive safety envelope, its tailpipe emissions and its reparability. As well, new materials may change the environmental impact of building and recycling cars.
A panel of experts will discuss the prospects for significant weight savings and fuel efficiency in cars. What are the trade-offs in safety, performance and green-ness? Will the consumer be able to afford such vehicles—or will another financing model have to be developed? Where is the new “automotive sweet spot” and how the industry is taking on the challenge?
