Lighter, Stronger, Greener Steel Bodies to Help Automakers Increase Efficiency at Lower Cost

Summary:
•    Phase 1 technology and component evaluations complete, four technical specification options were considered – FSV-1 (battery electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) and FSV-2 (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and fuel cell electric vehicle)
•    Phase 2 vehicle concepts, to be completed in 2010, will provide optimized steel designs that meet or exceed future environmental, fuel economy, safety and weight standards

Brussels, 31 August 2009 – As worldwide demands for affordable, safe and high efficiency vehicles surge, the global steel industry’s WorldAutoSteel body is launching the Phase 2 of its Future Steel Vehicle programme (FSV) aimed at helping automakers optimize new propulsion technologies that will soon enter showrooms.

The FSV Programme recently completed Phase 1 of its research and today releases its findings and plans for Phase 2.

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Greener, Lighter, Safer Steel Vehicles Can Be Achieved Through New Vehicle Noise, Vibration and Harshness Approach

Detroit, 22 April, 2009 – A study commissioned by WorldAutoSteel and presented today at the Society for Automotive Engineers 2009 World Congress shows automotive engineers a new approach to design for noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) called “Hybrid Interior Noise Synthesis (HINS).” The study illustrates how vehicle components can be optimized for NVH performance and weight by applying the new approach and lightweight steel solutions.  

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This report, published by the American Iron and Steel Institute's Auto/Steel Partnership, defines and quantifies the mass compounding effect during vehicle design with current mass influence coefficients developed from mass data of 35 contemporary vehicles. Also available is a Mass Compounding Calculator, an Excel Spreadsheet that implements the findings of the mass compounding study into a tool for estimating initial vehicle mass based on conventional vehicle baselines and calculating the additional mass savings possible from an initial mass reduction of a vehicle system(s) or component(s).

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A partnership project between a steel company and an autobody supplier aimed to design essential parts of a real-world body structure, based on spaceframe technology, by applying new production techniques with innovative steel materials.

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