AISI Supports Automakers in Meeting New DOT Emissions Requirements
03/31/2009 - AISI's Steel Market Development Institute is working with automakers on advanced lightweight steel technologies to boost fuel efficiency and cut emissions.
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) announced its support for automakers as they work to produce more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles that can meet the Department of Transportation's (DOT) newly announced requirements.
"The North American steel industry is committed to expanding its work with automakers to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles that will aid in eliminating our dependence on foreign oil," said AISI President and CEO Thomas J. Gibson. "We are accelerating our cooperative research and development efforts to produce advanced automotive steel technologies that will help carmakers reduce vehicle weight and carbon emissions, as well as increase fuel economy."
The Department of Transportation posted new fuel economy standards last week for cars and light trucks for the 2011 model year, raising the industry-wide combined average to 27.3 miles per gallon. President Obama directed the DOT in January to review relevant considerations necessary to establish and finalize more stringent fuel economy standards by the end of March.
Ronald Krupitzer, Vice President of Automotive Applications for AISI's Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) explained that advanced high-strength steels offer significant benefits in cost, weight savings, improved safety, recyclability and life-cycle emissions for future vehicles. He said that recent work with carmakers has demonstrated that today's advanced high-strength steels can reduce a vehicle's structural weight by 25%. Studies by Ducker Research over the last several years have confirmed that advanced high-strength steels are the fastest-growing material in today's new vehicles.
Steel represents about 60% of today’s new vehicles’ total weight. Future steels—currently being researched at top universities as funded by the National Science Foundation and the U. S. Department of Energy—promise even more mass savings. These new future grades would become effective for vehicles built around 2020, when it is expected that the 35 miles per gallon standard will be in effect.
Krupitzer also said that in addition to mass savings, steel offers low total emissions associated with manufacturing and driving vehicles as measured by life cycle assessment (LCA), an established method of accounting for all the emissions associated with products like automobiles. The relatively low emissions and energy content of steels, in addition to their high recyclability compared to other automotive structural materials, offer the cleanest environmental solution to future vehicles.
"We look at LCA as an opportunity for the steel industry to demonstrate steel's contribution to lower vehicle emissions, from the highly energy-efficient production of these advanced high strength steels to steel's infinite recyclability at the end of the vehicle's useful life," said Krupitzer.
Through SMDI's Automotive Applications Council, North American steel companies focus on advancing the use of steel in the highly competitive automotive market. Automotive Applications Council members include ArcelorMittal USA, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Nucor Corp., Severstal North America Inc., and United States Steel Corp.
