Regulations/Standards

Thermal management improves Ram 1500 fuel economy and earns EPA off-cycle credits 2013 Ram truck's HFE (high fuel efficiency) model delivers 18 mpg city/25 mpg highway with help from thermal management of engine and transmission oil temperatures, featuring integration with active grille shutters. Read full story

Navistar’s take on ComVEC, next-gen diesels Navistar is providing the executive leadership for this year’s SAE Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress, taking place in Rosemont, IL, on Oct. 2-3. Ramin Younessi, Group Vice President, Product Development, Navistar Inc., discusses how the Congress is shaping up and the company’s future product plans incorporating the next-gen ICT+ (in-cylinder technology plus) system, which adds urea-based aftertreatment to its EGR technology. Read full story

Security will be key factor in vehicle-to-vehicle communications As the U.S. Department of Transportation prepares for field tests that will help it decide whether to mandate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, potential suppliers are focusing on safety and security issues. Read full story

Patent revocation, counterfeiting fears cloud A/C changeover to R-1234yf Honeywell patent for R-1234yf revoked by European Patent Office, but company appeals and files additional patents. R-1234yf supply situation unlikely to improve until October. Cost issue creates possible opportunity for blend refrigerants. Refrigerant counterfeiting problems hit military. Read full story

J1772 'combo connector' shown at the 2012 Electric Vehicle Symposium SAE International's J1772 “combo connector,” which will allow for both slower ac charging and faster dc charging of plug-in vehicles using a single vehicle electrical inlet, gets its first North American public demo next week after months of internal testing by automakers. Read full story

Connectivity is key to ITS future U. S. roads could become a web of vehicles communicating with each other automatically by 2025, bringing about improvements in safety and congestion. Read full story

NHTSA official thanks engineers during SAE Congress keynote The nation's top safety administrator peppered his keynote address to SAE 2012 World Congress attendees with thank-you sentiments to engineers for solving complex problems. Read full story

Permits, prices are challenges for those building EV infrastructure Electric vehicles have support from governments and many corporations, but building an infrastructure to support them still poses many challenges. Installation costs are fairly high and licensing can be a challenge. Read full story

Engineers fear “draconian” 2025 particle-mass target for GDI engines The looming LEV III standards, which include a potential drop of particulate matter emissions to an almost imperceptible 1 mg/mi by 2025—loom like dark clouds over powertrain engineers working on gasoline direct injection (GDI) and diluted/lean-burn combustion technologies, as well as advanced diesels. Read full story