Trimming fat new frontier for automakers

[kram]

Companies exploring potential of lighter vehicles to save on gas

Toyota was even bolder at last month’s Tokyo Motor Show, showing its 1/X concept, which is made of strong, light carbon fiber. The 1/X name is a reference to the idea that, in terms of weight, the car is a fraction of a regular car. The 1/X is one-third the weight of a fuel-efficient Prius and has an engine that’s one-third of the size, burning one-third the amount of fuel.

“The significance of the 1/X shouldn’t be understated,” insists Michael Brylawski, practice leader of the transportation innovations group at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a groups focused on environmental issues. “With it, Toyota is saying the next frontier is going to be ‘lightweighting.’”[/b]

more at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21818860/

I think that reducing weight on vehicles could be one of the most important trends developing in the near term in order to make vehicles more fuel efficient. It is likely to beat out gains in engine efficiency improvements. Also, lighter vehicles will make BEVs more likely as it reduces the size (and hence cost) of the batteries too.

[MikeSF]

1/3rd engine size? Just in weight? Or is it only like a half liter engine?

[Pinto Girl]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kram @ Nov 16 2007, 09:07 AM) [snapback]540499[/snapback]</div>

more at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21818860/

I think that reducing weight on vehicles could be one of the most important trends developing in the near term in order to make vehicles more fuel efficient. It is likely to beat out gains in engine efficiency improvements. Also, lighter vehicles will make BEVs more likely as it reduces the size (and hence cost) of the batteries too.
[/b]

Reducing a car's weight is good in so many ways, but it requires skill and is expensive to do. Also, insurance companies don't always favor exotic materials; they seem to make cars more costly to repair and can force the technicians at body shops out of their areas of expertise.

I'd humbly suggest to domestic automakers, that the simplest way to reduce the weight of their vehicles is simply to make them smaller!

[apriusfan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 21 2007, 10:25 PM) [snapback]542823[/snapback]</div>

Reducing a car's weight is good in so many ways, but it requires skill and is expensive to do. Also, insurance companies don't always favor exotic materials; they seem to make cars more costly to repair and can force the technicians at body shops out of their areas of expertise.

I'd humbly suggest to domestic automakers, that the simplest way to reduce the weight of their vehicles is simply to make them smaller![/b]

Ultimately, insurance companies would just pass on the cost of the lighter/stronger replacement material along to the policyholders in the form of higher premiums. Smaller sells only up to a point. Docvijay found a compelling reason to go with a Lincoln Navigator.... There is a market for larger vehicles; I think that some sort of consortium/partnership like what GM, Chrysler and BMW put together to develop the hybrid powertrain for the Tahoe/Yukon is a viable model for getting the weight out of the larger vehicles. The only way you will see efficiency north of 30 mpg on these larger vehicles will be by cutting the weight. A consortium/partnership spreads the cost among each of the participants.