Product Management - Tech Blog
SAE Online Poll: Lightweight materials to most benefit heavy vehicles for upcoming regs
Lightweight materials will make the greatest impact in helping medium- and heavy-duty trucks achieve upcoming greenhouse gas/fuel efficiency regulations, according to respondents to an online poll posted on SAE Off-Highway Engineering Online and Automotive Engineering International Online for two weeks in late November and early December. Lightweight materials were chosen by about 42% of the 64 respondents, hailing from 15 nations.
Automatic engine shutdown (idle reduction) came in second with nearly 22% of the vote, followed by design optimization (17%), aerodynamics (11%), and intelligent electronics (e.g., predictive cruise control) at almost 8%. Low rolling resistance tires did not receive a vote.
Half (32) of the respondents were from the U.S., who likewise selected lightweight materials as the most beneficial technology area at 37.5%. Design optimization and automatic engine shutdown swapped places compared to the overall vote, with 22% and 19%, respectively. Aerodynamics received nearly 16% of the U.S. vote, and intelligent electronics received just over 6%.
India had the second most respondents with 8, and Canada was third with 5. Countries posting a single vote included Pakistan (for design optimization), Singapore (lightweight materials), Malaysia (intelligent electronics), and Sri Lanka (automatic engine shutdown).
Check out our magazine websites often to respond to new poll questions posted by the editors, and feel free to suggest possible poll topics at sohe@sae.org or aei@sae.org.
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Voting results for the poll question: “Which technology area will make the greatest impact in achieving upcoming greenhouse gas/fuel efficiency regulations for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles?”
U.S. Army tabs AVL and Achates Power for new-generation engine
The U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has awarded a $4.9 million contract to AVL Engineering and Achates Power Inc. to design and build a demonstrator engine as part of the military's Next-Generation Engine program intended for a wide range of combat and tactical vehicles. In its contract proposal, AVL said the engine would be based on Achates’ opposed-piston two-stroke technology. It will be multi-fuel-capable, per TARDEC's requirements. In developing its base engine technology, Achates has accumulated more than 3600 h of dynamometer testing, achieving 47.5% brake thermal efficiency, the company claims. The advantages demonstrated thus far are published in SAE International technical paper 2011-01-2216 and include leaner, faster, and earlier combustion and greater package efficiency, compared with current-generation diesels. AVL and Achates expect the engine's final design phase to be underway "over the next few years."
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Achates Power claims its current base engine technology achieves less than 0.1% fuel-specific oil consumption, with low heat rejection and packaging benefits compared with current-generation diesels.
Toyota Technical Center promotes two engineers
Toyota Technical Center (TTC) on Dec. 19 announced the promotion of engineers Andrew Lund and Kristen Tabar. Lund moves from Executive Program Manager to Chief Engineer for the Toyota Sienna. He came to TTC in 1992 and joined the Sienna team in 2000 as Program Manager before being promoted to Executive Program Manager for the model. Tabar steps up from General Manager, Electrical Systems-2 to Vice President, Electrical Systems Engineering. She was promoted to her current position in 2010 and in that position was responsible for the design and development of multimedia and telematics, including component, systems, and vehicle applications for Lexus and Toyota models. Both earned engineering bachelor's degrees from the University of Michigan and are members of SAE International. The promotions are effective Jan. 7. 2013.
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Andrew Lund and Kristen Tabar.
IAV Automotive Engineering looks to hire engineers in 2013
IAV Automotive Engineering expects to continue experiencing strong growth in U.S. next year and will hire an additional 40 engineers to do so. The company recently announced that sales have increased by more than 50% every year since 2009, when it opened its new headquarters in Northville, MI. For 2013, it expects revenues to have quadrupled since 2010. Part of the global IAV Group, IAV Automotive Engineering is an engineering consultancy serving the automotive industry. It received an AEI Tech Award (click here to see article) earlier this year for its work in hybrid powertrain research.
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Schematic of a parallel hybrid architecture with two electrical axles.
BMW and Boeing to collaborate on carbon-fiber materials
Two heavyweights in the automotive and aerospace industries are joining minds on lighter materials. BMW and Boeing on Dec. 12 announced they would do joint research on carbon-fiber recycling and share knowledge about the material and its manufacture. As part of the collaboration agreement, the two companies will also share carbon-fiber manufacturing process simulations and ideas for manufacturing automation. BMW in 2013 plans to introduce two models from its new i brand (i3 battery-electric and i8 plug-in hybrid) featuring bodies made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner aircraft is made up of 50% carbon fiber. The collaboration is the first ever between the two companies.
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The bodies of BMW's i brand models will use carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. (Patrick Ponticel)
Top 100 Global Innovators list includes seven automotive companies
The automotive industry was more than twice as innovative in 2012 than it was in 2011, according to the 2012 Top 100 Global Innovators list compiled by the IP & Science unit of Thomson Reuters. The full report released Dec. 4 listing the awards and describing the selection methodology is available here. Automotive companies on the Top 100 list are Delphi, Ford, Honda, Jatco, Renault, Toyota, and Valeo. Of those, only Ford acknowledged the honor in a press release, saying that its engineers and researchers "have come through recently with nearly 500 patents granted for hybrid-electric vehicle technology." Ford's developments related to improving vehicle fuel efficiency have also yielded more than 25 patent applications for the controls for Auto Start-Stop, 125 patents for EcoBoost engine technology, as well as the SmartGauge instrument cluster and EcoGuide driver coaching system. Ford credits much of its innovation to its Employee Patent Incentive Awards; invention submissions are up 60% since its launch. Companies that do business in the automotive industry but are listed under non-automotive categories in the Top 100 include Eaton, Denso, General Electric, Goodyear, Michelin, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Scania, and Siemens.
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Ford's hybrid vehicle development group helped put the automaker among the Top-100 Innovation leaders. Ming Kuang, Technical Leader, Vehicle Controls, Electrification Research and Advanced Engineering, has helped grow Ford’s hybrid patent portfolio from 10 in 2000. His name is on 40 of Ford’s nearly 500 hybrid-related patents.
Suzuki exits U.S. auto sales
Low sales volumes and "disproportionally high and increasing costs associated with stringent state and federal regulatory requirements unique to the U.S. market" are among the reasons cited by American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) for deciding to end sales of Suzuki automobiles in the continental U.S. ASMC, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corp. of Hamamatsu, Japan, announced on Nov. 5 that it also is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will focus on its other product lines: motorcycles, ATVs, and marine products. The company promised to honor all Suzuki automobile warranties and to ensure supply of replacement parts. ASMC sold 2,023 units in October. Additional reasons cited by ASMC for ending automobile sales include a limited number of models and unfavorable foreign exchange rates.
Visteon opens innovation and design center in India
Visteon Corp. has opened its first innovation and design center in India. Housed within the Visteon Engineering Center in Pune, the facility focuses on creating ideas, developing concepts, and commercializing market-driven products across Visteon's portfolio. The innovation and design center will be staffed by program managers, engineers, industrial designers, human-machine-interaction experts, and market researchers. Its central location in Pune (one of India's largest cities and a hub for global automotive companies) allows the supplier to support vehicle manufacturers throughout the country. Visteon has four manufacturing plants, three engineering centers, a joint venture, and more than 3000 employees in India.
GM and PSA Peugeot Citroën to co-develop four new vehicle programs
General Motors and PSA Peugeot Citroën on Oct. 24 announced their strategic alliance will co-develop four common vehicle projects, with the first launching by the end of 2016. The projects are:
• A joint program for a compact-class multipurpose van for Opel/Vauxhall and a compact-class crossover utility vehicle for the Peugeot brand.
• A joint multipurpose vehicle program for the small car segment for Opel/Vauxhall and the Citroën brand.
• An upgraded, low-CO2 small car segment platform to feed Opel/Vauxhall’s and PSA’s next generation of cars in Europe and other regions.
• A joint program for midsize cars for Opel/Vauxhall and the Peugeot and Citroën brands.
The companies did not identify the specific project to be launched by the end of 2016. They confirmed their intent to save $2 billion annually through joint purchasing activities within five years.
Bell Helicopter breaks ground on new global headquarters
Bell Helicopter has commenced construction for its new global headquarters in Fort Worth, TX. The company plans to invest $230 million in new and upgraded facilities as part of a comprehensive revitalization effort. The revitalization effort is designed to consolidate more than 1.2 million ft² of excess space, reduce building maintenance costs, and reduce 20% of the company's waste and energy use by 2015. These changes are expected to improve coordination and collaboration, increase cost-competitiveness and are projected to save $19 million in annual operating expenses. Bell Helicopter's future headquarters will be home to administration, support functions, program offices, a customer center, and an integrated training facility.
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John L. Garrison, President and CEO of Bell Helicopter, speaks at the Oct. 15 groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new Fort Worth global headquarters. (Office of Governor Rick Perry)
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