WorldAutoSteel Releases Preliminary Styling for Future Steel Vehicle
08/11/2008 - The Future Steel Vehicle Programme produces early styling sketches for a future steel vehicle based on packaging studies released by WorldAutoSteel member companies.
The Future Steel Vehicle (FSV) Programme has produced early styling sketches for a future steel vehicle based on packaging studies released by WorldAutoSteel member companies.
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WorldAutoSteel Members:
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FSV's technical team, which includes EDAG, Quantum Technologies, Inc., SFCV/Tongji and WorldAutoSteel material experts, is considering four technical specification options for the proposed year 2015-2020 vehicle: electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles for 4+ passengers; and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) and fuel cell (FCV) vehicles for five-passengers. The flexibility of powertrain component packaging coupled with the qualities of advanced high-strength steel will enable these vehicles to meet current and future consumer expectations for interior comfort, while significantly reducing greenhouse-gas emissions throughout the entire life cycle.
“For the sake of the environment, it is critical to look at Future Steel Vehicle, as all vehicles, from a life-cycle assessment (LCA) perspective,” said Edward Opbroek, Director, WorldAutoSteel. “Based on the recent LCA study and model* developed at the University of California, Santa Barbara, implementation of more-efficient powertrain systems elevates the importance of the emissions from material production, placing greater emphasis on selecting a low greenhouse gas-intensive material such as steel.” Opbroek noted that with the combination of alternative powertrains and advanced high-strength steel, all four FSV types will achieve well below the emission requirements proposed around the world.
"Compared to other materials used to reduce vehicle weight, these advanced high-strength steels produce five to 15 times less GHG emissions during the material manufacturing phase, which greatly reduces a vehicle's life-cycle carbon footprint," said Opbroek.
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In addition to reducing a vehicle’s greenhouse-gas footprint during its use phase, advanced high-strength steel designs offer the added benefit of lower emissions associated with the energy to produce and recycle steel as compared to other primary materials.
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The resulting vehicle architecture will feature the latest portfolio of advanced high-strength steels from around the world, allowing engineers and designers to reduce a vehicle’s total design mass without sacrificing safety or packaging requirements. These two issues will become increasingly critical in future vehicle designs as engineers look to package new elements such as batteries, electric motors and even hydrogen tanks into vehicles that will most likely be used in increasingly dense traffic and urban environments.
While new powertrain technologies and lower-mass vehicles have a direct impact on fuel consumption, they also will have a major impact on greenhouse gases (GHG). Improved advanced high-strength steel designs will reduce a vehicle's GHG footprint during its use phase; but steel also has the added benefit of comparatively lower GHG emissions resulting from the energy needed during the production of steel and the steel recycling rate as compared to other primary materials.
“We're not just looking at the vehicle design and its impact on GHG at the tailpipe,” said Jody Shaw, Manager, Technical Marketing and Product Research, United States Steel Corp. and Chair of the FSV Programme. "We're concerned with the whole life-cycle of the vehicle, from the emissions produced and energy used to create raw materials, all the way to the impact of recycling. If the whole life-cycle is not taken into account, there is the distinct possibility of having a net increase in GHG if the wrong material choice is made. This isn't just speculation—we've got very clear models that demonstrate this.”
WorldAutoSteel and its global engineering partners will develop FSV Phase 1 through 2008, looking to begin Phase 2, which is focused on Concept Designs, in early 2009.
*Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Assessments of Automotive Materials: The Example of Mild Steel, Advanced High Strength Steel and Aluminium in Body in White Applications, by Dr. Roland Geyer University of California at Santa Barbara David Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, December 2007
WorldAutoSteel, the automotive group of the International Iron and Steel Institute continually explores steel innovation that demonstrates and communicates the value of steel in automobiles to industry and society. Its worldwide member companies pool global resources within and beyond the steel industry to deliver vital research that is central to effective steel automobile applications. WorldAutoSteel continues to lead the materials revolution through projects such as the Future Steel Vehicle and the UltraLight Steel Family of Research: ULSAB, ULSAC, ULSAS, and ULSAB-AVC, which help the world's automotive industry to improve the safety, affordability and environmental impact of its products.
