AHSS to Help Automakers Meet Stringent Fuel, Emissions Requirements
09/25/2009 - AISI's Steel Market Development Institute is developing stronger, lighter, and more affordable grades of advanced high-strength steels that will help automakers meet President Obama's recently proposed standards.
The American Iron and Steel Institute’s (AISI) Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) says it is developing stronger, lighter, and more affordable grades of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) that will help automakers meet fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards recently proposed by President Barack Obama, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Transportation.
“Over the past decade, the North American steel industry has continued to develop new grades of steel that improve safety and help to reduce vehicle weight,” said David C. Jeanes, President of SMDI. “Today’s advanced high-strength steels can reduce a vehicle’s structural weight by as much as 25 to 32%, which can help reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, making these new steels among the most environmentally friendly materials available for future vehicles.”
On September 15, President Obama detailed his administration’s proposed standards, which would require passenger cars and light trucks to meet a 35.5 mpg industry average—about a 5% increase each year—and a combined average limit of 250 grams of CO2 emissions per mile, beginning in 2016.
According to Ron Krupitzer, Vice President of Automotive Applications for AISI’s SMDI, steel can help reduce total life cycle CO2 emissions via its mass-reduction capability, its relatively low energy CO2 intensity compared to other materials (e.g., about 25% of that of aluminum or less than 15% of that of magnesium), and its total recyclability.
AISI cites a recent study by research firm Ducker Worldwide that reveals AHSS is the fastest-growing material in today’s new vehicles. According to the study, manufacturers will continue to expand the implementation of these grades to meet the new fuel economy requirements, while maintaining crash safety and affordability.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the material of choice. AISI plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. The Institute comprises 24 member companies representing over 75% of both U.S. and North American steel capacity, and 138 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.
