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The emergence of electric vehicles in the main stream automotive market is surely causing a stir. As more and more manufacturers come out with new electric vehicles, consumers are becoming polarized to the number of options available, and while some are ecstatic, others are lamenting on the loss of internal combustion engines. To be sure, it is apparent that the majority of consumers welcome the idea of electric vehicles, primarily due to the promise that electric vehicles come with a reduction in operating costs, fuel, and maintenance. Also, those who see a greener future with electric vehicles, albeit at the cost of new environmental challenges from the production and consumption of resources related to battery and electrical components consumption. Regardless, many consumers are focused directly on Ford and their new F150 Lightning pickup truck. This truck is a milestone for Ford, considering their current internal combustion engine version of the F150 is the best selling truck ever, with over 40 million on the road thus far. The electric F150 Lightning has rather large shoes to fill. One of the biggest obstacles that Ford had to overcome with the F150 Lightning was to make it easily acceptable by most truck users, in both appearance and functionality. The demands put on pickup trucks include the ability to carry a heavy payload, tow a significant amount of weight, and remain comfortable and use-able on a daily basis. Considering the numbers of the new F150 Lightning, it is apparent that the truck will be just as usable as the ICE F150. Ford claims that the F150 Lightning will be able to carry over 2200 lbs payload on a daily basis. The maximum towing capacity is rated at 10,000 lbs, which is acceptable for the vast majority of truck buyers, and puts the F150 Lightning in a competitive spot compared to internal combustion engine counterparts. As for range anxiety, consumers should not be concerned. The F150 Lightning has a range of 320 miles, which is competitive with other electric vehicles. While this is pathetically low in comparison to an internal combustion engine-equipped F150 with an extended range tank, think of it as the room for improvement in future iterations of the electric truck. In fact, range limitations in general must be improved for all electric vehicles before they can be taken seriously by all consumers. Regardless, the new F150 Lightning is an exciting new vehicle that will be a favorite of many buyers in the near future. Read More at: www.sae.org

A recent report created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, show some disturbing information regarding traffic deaths in 2021. The data shows that traffic related fatalities have risen over 10 percent from the year 2020. This increase is the largest single year increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration begun recording such data, and also marks the largest number of fatalities per year since 2005. In total, there were 42,915 deaths that occurred on the roads of the United States in 2021. This corresponds to a traffic related fatality every 12.2 minutes, for the entire year. Not surprisingly, the number of deaths increased almost in-step with the number of miles driven in 2021. Due to pandemic related restrictions, many drivers were either not on the roads in 2020 or chose not to drive as many miles, compared to the year 2021. Therefore, the number of fatalities per miles driven as a nation were aligned more or less with the 2020 calendar year. Due to the increase in fatalities and increase in miles driven, the state department, along with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is working to address the problem through the use of increased patrolling, improvements to the safety standards used in road construction, and public awareness programs designed to inform the general public of the dangers of driving and how to mitigate them. Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary for the United States, has recently introduced the Safe Streets and Roads for All program that aims to increase local funding to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities. The report goes on to indicate which categories of driver were the most affected during the 2021 calendar year. Of those categories examined, fatalities involving multiple vehicles, large trucks, pedestrians, persons aged 65 and older, daytime fatalities, and urban settings were up double-digits from 2020. Also of note, motorcycle related fatalities were up nine percent, while bicycle fatalities were up about five percent. For more information on the report, please click here

In the realm of manufacturing and parts production, three dimensional printed parts have taken center stage. Their ultimate in part complexity as well as relative decrease in time to produce parts makes printed parts very appealing for many manufacturing sectors. The technology behind printing 3D metal parts is diverse and rapidly changing, but the concept is largely the same. A company called 3DEO has developed a rapid prototype machine that can print metal components and finish machine them in the same workspace. The current 3DEO machines use a common metal layering technique that has been usable in the aerospace and automotive industries, but less accepted due to limitations in production and part surface finish. 3DEO’s production machines have the ability to create 3D printed parts, then machine them in final passes using micro machining centers that spin at approximately 60 thousand revolutions per minute. The company has also created a “cloud” type manufacturing concept, capable of taking parts geometry and translating into machining instructions rapidly, allowing the issues of workspace code creation to be handled completely by software and thus eliminating the human component in component manufacturing. Metal printing parts as a technology has grown significantly recently and has begun to be more widely accepted as a method of rapid production. In addition to creating the machines necessary to print and machine components, 3DEO has also taken on production of components for various manufacturing companies, and expects to scale up production significantly in the upcoming years. By volume, the company has become the largest production manufacturer in the world, in the space of small component three dimensional printed parts. The company’s growth has been reflected in recent expansion of their manufacturing facility in Torrance California. The company has also hired significant personnel to handle the increase in demand for both their manufacturing capabilities and the machines that they create. -taken from www.sae.org

A new sport hatchback is coming to the United States. Gone are the days of yore where hot hatchbacks were offered by numerous different auto manufacturers for use on United States roads. In fact, there are virtually only a select few manufacturers that still offer a vehicle that could be considered a “hot” hatchback that is for sale in the United States. Manufacturers, being focused directly on sales numbers, have realized that the market cannot bear such vehicles, which are considered too small for a family, too rough of a ride for a luxury vehicle, and overall distasteful to the general public. There is a subset of buyers, however, who still yearn for a manual transmission, excellent tactile connection to the roadway, and aggressive styling. Therefore, companies are still offering these vehicles for sale. Toyota is planning on releasing a hot hatch version of their Corolla, dubbed the Corolla GR. The Corolla GR will have four doors, a full hatchback, a high-strung turbo charged engine, and all-wheel drive and is set to compete with the Hyundai Veloster N, or even the Volkswagen Golf R. What will be interesting to see is whether the Corolla GR will sell well in a market that is already declining due to consumer interest in sport utility vehicles over sedans, as well as a general shift away from gasoline engines towards electric motor-driven vehicles. The Corolla GR is being manufactured in Motomachi, Japan facility, where the Lexus LFA was previously manufactured. A large portion of assembly will be done by hand, ensuring that tolerances are met and weight is kept to a minimum. The GR Corolla will come in two trim levels, the Core and Circuit Edition. The Core trim will be available first, with the limited-run Circuit Edition arriving in 2023. The Circuit Edition will be an enhanced version with more luxury features, as well as some performance and handling upgrades. -taken from www.sae.org

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released their automotive trends report detailing the current state of the automotive industry with a focus on the environment and how new vehicles are impacting it. The report is extensive, and covers many different aspects of emissions, fuel economy, and even vehicle horsepower. Here are some of the details: 1. CO2 emissions are down, fuel economy is up. From the point at which such emissions were first recorded, there is a trend downward of CO2 emissions from vehicles. The most current recorded levels are from model year 2020 vehicles that show an average emissions of only 349 g/ml. As a reference comparison, levels from the mid seventies were at almost 700 g/ml, therefore showing a significant improvement. Fuel economy is at 25.4 mpg, compared to 12.5 mph in the seventies. This shows a significant improvement of the average, and is something that most consumers can relate to. 2. Market is shifting away from cars to SUV’s. Also evident is the low sales volumes of cars, with the overall market shifting towards SUV’s. It is evident that new pickup truck sales are also lowering fleet wide emissions benefits, due to their larger size. 3. Horsepower and vehicle size are up. New car average horsepower is in the mid 200’s and vehicle sizes are trending to larger and more luxurious. 4. Most manufacturers are improving emissions, but not all. There are some manufacturers that have not improved emissions much in the past 5 years. 5. New technologies are being implemented into new vehicles. Blind spot detection, vehicle cameras, and smart cruise control are just a few of the new technologies being used in new vehicles. 6. All major manufacturers are within compliance with the new greenhouse gas standards. This is excellent news, as major manufacturers will pave the way for all manufacturers in maintaining proper greenhouse gas levels. 7. Most large manufacturers had to purchase greenhouse gas credits to maintain compliance. Unfortunately, production levels are still too high for many manufacturers to maintain compliance. 8. There remains a large bank of credits for use. Hopefully manufacturers will rely less and less on credits, however there are still many credits left for use. For more information, please visit the EPA’s website below: EPA

In the world of commercial vehicles, autonomous capability has many advantages and benefits. These large trucks, otherwise known as semis or tractor trailers, are driven hundreds of thousands of miles per year, per truck. The trucks are also primarily driven on highways over long stretches of roadway. The commercial truck driver is a professional driver who is subjected to many roadway hazards and challenges, all while piloting a massive vehicle safely and efficiently. To aid these drivers with autonomous capability would benefit transportation as a whole, providing a safer, faster way to transport the goods that all of us rely on every day. Aurora, a company pioneering autonomous driving, has partnered with Paccar, the manufacturer of Peterbuilt trucks, to develop a large scale commercial vehicle that can operate autonomously. The vehicle has qualified for SAE level 4 autonomous operation and was recently presented at the CES show in Las Vegas. The truck is based upon Peterbuilt’s popular model 579 truck that already has substantial driver aids equipped on it. The autonomous version provided by Aurora, dubbed the Aurora Driver, further enhances the autonomous features of the Peterbuilt 579 and provides certain self-driving capabilities to the truck. The Peterbuilt 579 was overhauled by Paccar in 2021, therefore providing a brand new platform to bring autonomous. One impressive feature of the Aurora Driver system is the LIDAR, Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave LIDAR, to be precise. It has the capability to sweep the entire driver area at a range of approximately 1000 feet and can even detect objects that are non-reflective. The system is so sensitive that it can operate on single photon light levels, making it useable at night time or in low light. The system operates at the 1550 nm wavelength level, allowing it to remain sensitive and still pass eye safety requirements. Aurora’s partnership with Paccar is a step made by both companies to bring commercial vehicles automation into reality in the near future. -taken from www.sae.org

One of the most exciting and promising concepts surrounding electric vehicles is the idea that they can be used as autonomous vehicles that will allow minimal human interaction while driving. While this concept is still very far from reality, some advancements in technology have helped ignite excitement in the idea. Current electric vehicles have built in sensors that can act to observe the surrounding environment, however the claims from certain automobile manufacturers that their vehicles are “self driving” are laughably inaccurate at a minimum. At worst, these claims are dangerous and deadly, and result in car crash fatalities while their so called passengers are doing other things while they should be driving and watching the road. Someday, however, vehicles may be self driving with the help of smart environments. Many different examples of smart environments are being developed that assist vehicles in knowing their surroundings while traveling down the road. Smart vehicles will be able to communicate to each other, based upon their surroundings, to alert other vehicles of problems, obstructions, and hazards in the roadway. This concept is called “vehicle to infrastructure” communication, dubbed V2I for short. The ability of a vehicle to know its surroundings will be a helpful step towards automation. Another concept uses existing infrastructure cameras to inform traveling vehicles of the roadway conditions. Department of Transportation cameras have been doing this for years albeit not in a “smart” sense that informs machines of traffic conditions. Several concept roadways that use smart cameras are already in use. These roadways, located in Ohio and Michigan, have the ability to transmit useful information from the view of the cameras, to the surrounding infrastructure. Ford and Volkswagen Company have teamed up to support autonomous vehicle company Argo to develop an infrastructure intelligence system that is capable of updating current roadway conditions almost on the fly. Many more exciting developments are underway and will be implemented onto national roadways in the near future. -taken from www.sae.org

In the world of internal combustion engines, there are many different fuel types that are less well known. While gasoline and diesel fuel are the main runners in the internal combustion engine technology, using hydrogen as a fuel is also very popular due to its green and renewable nature. Hydrogen fueled vehicles have been around for a long time and the technology to use hydrogen fuel in an internal combustion engine is very similar to that for other fuels. As the world transitions away from fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel, hydrogen fueled vehicles are likely to become more and more common. One of the main benefits of a hydrogen fueled vehicle is that the fuel itself does not produce many greenhouse gases during combustion, and unlike electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles have the ability to refuel without the aid of an electric grid. This makes them particularly useful for areas of the world that will not be electrified. Unfortunately, the burning of hydrogen fuel poses some unique challenges. When introduced into a typical internal combustion engine combustion chamber, such as that on a diesel engine, hydrogen fuel will pre-ignite. This pre-ignition can be detrimental to the engine and can cause catastrophic failure. Two companies that are pioneering the hydrogen fuel technology, Mahle and Liebherr, have developed a special apparatus that can be retrofitted into a diesel combustion engine to reduce the likelihood of pre-ignition in hydrogen powered vehicles. The apparatus is effectively a small combustion chamber that ignites the fuel before jetting the hot combustion gases into the main combustion chamber. This is accomplished using a series of nozzles to direct the combustion gases and ignite the secondary combustion chamber for engine power. A side-benefit of this technology is that thermal efficiencies increase, allowing the engine to produce higher compression. This technology is still in development, but is showing great promise for the future of hydrogen fueled vehicles. -taken from www.sae.org

There is very exciting news on the battery cell chemistry front. New cell chemistry promises to deliver far superior performance to current lithium-ion technology. One of the main limiting factors for many automakers of electric cars has been battery capacity, discharge rate, and re-charging times. Lithium ion batteries are the current gold standard, and provide excellent performance for their age, compared to older battery cell chemistries, and usage is widely accepted. However, because of the cell chemistry, they are difficult to manufacture and provide performance that does not currently compare with other energy sources. A new company, called Lyten, that is producing battery cells consisting of three dimensional graphene uses lithium-sulfur as the cell chemistry. Lyten reportedly has the most patents related to the graphene cell technology out of any current company, and their testing shows great promise for new battery technology. Current initial tests show a massive performance improvement over lithium ion battery technology. Capacity is increased by 2.5 times, and recharge rate can be as fast as 20 minutes from fully depleted to 80 percent charged. Performance is also unaffected by temperature swings - a significant issue for lithium ion battery cells. Battery testing at -30 degrees Celsius versus 60 degrees Celsius shows that the cells perform equally well without any significant degradation. Furthermore, cell life is currently rated at 1000 discharge and recharge cycles. The goal is to reach a life of approximately 1800 discharge and recharge cycles, providing electric vehicles with a true 1 million mile life. The process in creating the graphene structure uses methane gas to capture carbon and form a nucleated material from the gas. Currently, Lyten is testing cell performance for use in electric vehicle markets, and the company is in discussion with multiple auto manufacturers for use in their products. The plan is to go into full scale production within the next four to five years. -taken from www.sae.org

Without a doubt one of the transportation technologies that have seen the most growth lately has been that of electric vehicle propulsion. And, for certain, this technology will continue to advance in the future, ultimately taking over internal combustion as the dominant technology for transportation and automotive applications. Because of this rapid advancement in technology, many manufacturers are switching their focuses towards platforms that support electric vehicles. One such company, Schaeffler Group, is doing just that. Schaeffler began as an automotive component manufacturer half a century ago, and one of their original technologies was the roller bearing, a component found in virtually every automobile and beyond. Their focus for electric vehicles is within the powertrain and motor technologies. Schaeffler has been focusing on motor and drivetrains to come up with new advancements for electric vehicles that provide robust power and efficiency, all while being cost effective and readily available. Elmotec, one of Schaeffler’s recent acquisitions, is a company that specializes in motor winding and technologies that improve motor winding performance. This is just an example of the type of businesses that Schaeffler has been involved in acquiring, however all of the new technologies will help produce a nicely appointed motor for use in an electric vehicle. In other developments, Schaeffler has been exploring the use of a motor that literally sits within the drive wheel of a vehicle. While this is not a new concept, using it in an electric transport vehicle may be, and the benefits of such design would be numerous. This type of technology, termed and “IWM” or in-wheel motor, allows the drivetrain to be away from the load floor of the vehicle, allowing the floor to be easily accessible and open. Thus, this vehicle design could be useful for personal transport, or where occupant ease of access is important. In-wheel motors typically only work in low-speed applications; however this may change in the future with the development of motor performance. -taken from www.sae.org