Plastic has become a big part of the car's weight loss
Plastic has become a big part of the car's weight loss
The U.S. auto industry is on a losing spree, and designers aren't giving up on any chance to lose an ounce of weight to ease the weight of the car.
Why is weight loss so urgent, and interest in different materials so strong? The driving force is the us government's target of average fuel economy (CAFE), which requires a standard of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
To achieve this, carmakers must take incremental steps every year.
The topic became the focus of the 2015 plastic news conference in Detroit on January 14.
Suzanne Cole, President of Miller Cole LLC, a management consulting firm in Washington, d.c., noted that the lightweight approach is not just a unique phenomenon in North America, but a global trend. Global emissions cuts also depend heavily on new vehicles that use hydrogen, electricity or hybrid petrol engines. Cole points out that there will be more hybrids in America in the future.
"The main reason is that the automakers have a reputation in this area," she said.
A key benchmark for CAFE targets will be released in 2017, when mid-term technology audits will be conducted. The plastics industry will be watching closely.
"This will determine whether the period between 2021 and 2025 is still technically feasible," Cole said. This is expected to be one of the most important aspects of the fuel economy program."
Despite the escalating efforts, Cole said it appeared that the use of electric vehicles had been stopped. The goal of producing 3 million electric vehicles by 2025 has changed.
Industry progress
The car industry is making strides in fuel economy and emissions cuts. In 2014, half of all new cars exceeded 23 MPG for the first time, and none was less than 13mpg, Cole said.
The car industry will continue to move forward with the use of aerodynamic design, new fuel and energy sources, and weight loss.
The plastics industry can play an important role in the development of innovative new materials.
"Carmakers must also understand that they can't just stay in the plug-and-play phase," Cole said. You can't use the same production process to build a high-fuel car."
The decision to adopt lightweight selection will increase the importance of material research.
"The automakers may recognize the benefits of using carbon fiber in the structural components, but there may be difficulties in funding," Cole said.
She added that mainstream models are already optimizing the material. The key is not the material itself, but the parts it makes.
In the future, plastic companies that can provide solutions to weight loss will gain a competitive advantage.
"In the next few years, you'll see a gradual divergence between winners and losers," Cole said.
