Lightweighting

Lightweighting is a concept in the auto industry about building cars and trucks that are less heavy as a way to achieve better fuel efficiency and handling.[1][2] Carmakers make parts from carbon fiber, windshields from plastic, and bumpers out of aluminum foam, as ways to lessen vehicle load.[3] Replacing car parts with lighter materials does not lessen overall safety for drivers, according to one view, since many plastics have a high strength-to-weight ratio.[3]

Lightweight materials such as carbon fiber are increasingly being used in cars and trucks to decrease weight while preserving strength, as shown here in this car bumper, as an example of Lightweighting.

The search to replace car parts with lighter ones is not limited to any one type of part; according to a spokesman for Ford Motor Company, engineers strive for lightweighting "anywhere we can."[4] Using lightweight materials such as plastics can mean less strain on the engine and better gas mileage as well as improved handling.[5] One material sometimes used to reduce weight is carbon fiber.[6] The auto industry has used the term for many years, as the effort to keep making cars lighter is ongoing.[2]

Another common material used for lightweighting is aluminum. Incorporating aluminum has grown continuously to not only meet CAFE standards, but to also improve automotive performance. A vehicle with lower weight has better acceleration, braking and handling. In addition, lighter vehicles can tow and haul larger loads because the engine is not carrying unnecessary weight. A light weighting magazine finds: "Even though aluminum is light, it does not sacrifice strength. Aluminum body structure is equal in strength to steel and can absorb twice as much crash-induced energy."[7]

References
  1. JIM MOTAVALLI, OCT. 11, 2012, The New York Times, For Lightweight Cars, a Materials Race, Retrieved April 11, 2015, "...carmakers and the federal government are pouring resources into “lightweighting” auto platforms to meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards...."
  2. Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY, June 3, 2014, Ford shows off lightweight car concept, Retrieved April 11, 2015, "..."Lightweighting our vehicles is incredibly important to us in terms of improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions,"..."
  3. Dee-Ann Durbin of the Associated Press, June 17, 2014, Mercury News, Auto industry gets serious about lighter materials, Retrieved April 11, 2015, "...Automakers have been experimenting for decades with lightweighting, as the practice is known, but the effort is gaining urgency with the adoption of tougher gas mileage standards. ..."
  4. NEAL E. BOUDETTE and MIKE RAMSEY, Jan. 14, 2013, Wall Street Journal, Detroit Sheds Pounds for Gas-Mileage Gains, Retrieved April 11, 2015, "...Today, we look at lightweighting anywhere we can," said ... of Ford...."
  5. May 2, 2013, Chicago Tribune, Improving automobile fuel efficiency - with plastics, Retrieved April 11, 2015, "...Due to their positive strength-to-weight ratio, plastics make up an astonishing 50 percent of today’s cars by volume, but only 10 percent by weight. This “lightweighting” results in less strain on the engine and improved gas mileage...."
  6. Daniel C. Esty, March 4, 2007, Washington Post, When Being Green Puts You in the Black, Retrieved April 11, 2015, "...Toyota reported record profits last year because it put these issues at the center of its design strategy, which includes hybrid engines, "lightweighting" of its vehicles through the use of carbon fiber and other advanced materials, .."
  7. Marin, Andy. "Vacuum Impregnation Enables Lightweight Material Use". Light Weighting World. Light Weighting World magazine.
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