Materials

BASF's new U.S. headquarters features sustainable construction Intended to achieve Platinum status in U.S. Green Building Council program, the new building incorporates 30 BASF technologies and is projected to use 20% less energy than would a building made with conventional construction technologies. Read full story

Rough road ahead for EV battery costs Increasing manufacturing scale is critical in getting lithium-ion battery costs down; it will not be nearly enough to reach the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium target of $150/kW·h by 2020. Read full story

Engineers work off extra engine-blade weight Changing from alloy to composite materials for engine fan blades is an identified path to reducing overall engine weight by a significant amount—typically up to 1000 lb. Read full story

Developing steel cord reinforcement for injection molded parts BASF, Voestalpine, and Bekaert are working together to develop steel-cord-reinforced injection molded parts that the companies believe will make a significant contribution to vehicle safety. Read full story

Video Interview: SCM Metal focuses on lightweight future AEI spoke with SCM Metal Products’ Tom Pelletiers at the SAE 2012 World Congress about the North Carolina-based company’s next-generation lightweight materials. Read full story

Video Interview: Inteva VP shares ‘panoramic’ view of roof-system trends Stefan Land, Vice President of Roof Systems at Inteva Products, sees the market for panoramic roof systems expanding, particularly in China and North America. At the SAE 2012 World Congress, Land discussed with SAE Magazines a range of roof-system technology trends. Read full story

Johnson Controls, Fraunhofer cross-link on materials research Automotive seat specialist Johnson Controls is entering into what it plans to be a long-term cooperation agreement with the German Fraunhofer Research Institution for Polymeric Materials and Composites (PYCO). Read full story

Flying car makes debut in New York With folding wings to reduce width to garageable status, the Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft fits into the “light sport plane” category and delivers 35 mpg fuel economy on the road. The company claims 100 orders with $10,000 deposits for the $279,000 vehicle. Read full story

Brembo sees high-performance brakes moving into more medium-price cars The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is one example, using a cast-iron rotor. An improved carbon-ceramic manufacturing process is sought to increase production and reduce cost. Fixed caliper design provides more uniform lining wear, reduced hysteresis, and better ABS response. Read full story