AISI Stresses that AHSS Can Help Auto Industry Meet Stringent Standards
10/22/2009 - Ron Krupitzer of AISI's Steel Market Development Institute and Jody Shaw of U.S. Steel address the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at a recent hearing on proposed rulemaking held in Romulus, Mich.
Collaborative efforts between the North American steel industry and automakers are leading to significant advancements in fuel economy and vehicle emissions performance, according to Ron Krupitzer, Vice President of Automotive Applications for AISI's Steel Market Development Institute. Krupitzer and Jody Shaw, Manager of Technical Marketing and Product Research for U. S. Steel, addressed the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at a recent hearing on proposed rulemaking held in Romulus, Mich.
"The steel industry continues to develop innovative automotive steel products to provide safe, practical, and affordable solutions to reduce vehicle weight, which is an effective strategy for meeting proposed emissions and fuel economy standards," Krupitzer said. "Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) have already proven to reduce the mass of body structural components by 25% or more compared to mild steel. Plus, mass reduction with AHSS can be achieved more affordably than with other materials."
The proposed rulemaking addresses light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards and the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard, which are consistent with the National Fuel Efficiency Policy announced by President Obama in May 2009 to address global climate change and fuel consumption.
According to Shaw, steel plays an important role in reducing the energy consumption and CO2 emissions through all phases of a vehicle's life, including manufacturing, driving, and end of life.
"To comply with the tailpipe-only regulations, automakers may inadvertently select materials that increase the life cycle carbon footprint of the vehicle," Shaw said. "While other materials may provide mass advantages in vehicles, the resulting improvement in fuel economy may not offset the energy use and CO2 emissions that result from manufacturing and recycling of a vehicle containing the replacement materials. To address these unintended consequences, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach is needed."
The LCA approach assists automakers in evaluating and reducing the total energy consumed and the lifetime greenhouse gas emissions of their products. "Since 1990, the North American steel industry has reduced the energy and carbon intensity of steel by 33%," Krupitzer noted.
AHSS grades have become the fastest-growing material in new vehicles, according to Krupitzer, rising to nearly 15% of all steel in new vehicles today.
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and through its business unit, Steel Market Development Institute, conducts research with its member companies in partnership with its customers to advance the use of steel in the marketplace. The Automotive Applications Council is a part of AISI's Steel Market Development Institute. The council focuses on advancing the use of steel in the highly competitive automotive market.
