Contrary to popular belief, automobiles have not become lighter during the last 15 years. In fact, they have become 30 percent heavier. But, plastics under the hood help shed excess weight without compromising the comfort and safety features that are mainly responsible for the upward weight spiral.
While plastic continues to turn up in more and more engine compartments, aluminum use is also increasing. In fact, a recent study claims that the use of automotive aluminum in North America is at an all-time high.
The ongoing quest for lightweight vehicles is forcing automotive engineers to look for new ways to replace metal powertrain components with plastic. Here are three important questions to ask.
A Tier One supplier is using plant-derived nylon resin to produce automotive radiator end tanks. It is the first time that a bioplastic has been used in mechanical components exposed to the hot, chemically aggressive underhood environment.
Dual-clutch transmissions are popular because they help improve fuel efficiency. A Tier One supplier uses nylon to make integrated control units for its transmissions.
Last week, the much-anticipated Tata Nano “people’s car” went on sale in India. The $2,000 microcar, which has been hailed as the 21st century’s Model T, promises to open up motoring to an entirely new group of consumers. The car features a plastic air-intake manifold.
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, CA) have created a system that uses water motion to generate a high-pressure liquid, which is then transported to shore and used to produce electricity on land. It eliminates all submerged electrical components, which are subject to corrosion.
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI, Troy, NY) have developed a new type of light emitting diode (LED) that features significantly improved lighting performance and energy efficiency. The polarization-matched LED exhibits an 18 percent increase in light output and a 22 percent increase in wall-plug efficiency.
A new type of solar cell is so thin and flexible that it can be mass-produced like paper currency. The printable cells offer a number of advantages over traditional solar panel technology. For instance, they are lightweight and easily transportable, making them attractive to a domestic market and also flexible like a banknote.
