AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN 13
A multitude of means to improve fuel efficiency and cut emissions
Paul Stevens reviews some of the numerous technologies that are helping automotive manufactures to deliver vehicles that consume less fuel and produce fewer harmful emissions, but without sacrificing performance or comfort.
Paul Stevens évalue quelques-unes des nombreuses technologies qui aident les fabricants automobiles à créer des véhicules plus économiques en carburant et produisant moins d’émissions nocives, sans compromis au niveau des performances ou du confort.
Paul Stevens untersucht einige der zahlreichen Technologien, die Automobilherstellern helfen, Fahrzeuge zu produzieren, die weniger Kraftstoff
verbrauchen und geringere Schadstoffemissionen erzeugen, ohne an Leistung oder Komfort einzubüßen.
O
ne of the few positive outcomes from the recent downturn in the world economy has been the falling price of oil. When oil was
around $150 per barrel the public’s perception of the importance of fuel economy changed significantly. While it is true that the price of oil has dropped, the price is sure to rise again when the global economy starts its recovery. Furthermore, regardless of the price of oil, automotive manufacturers are still faced with the need to meet ever-tougher emissions regulations. A broad array of strategies is being
pursued with the aim of improving vehicle efficiency. While there are plenty of radical projects underway relating to alternative fuels, this present article is focusing on some of the many innovations that are taking place. Each of these could make a small difference to vehicle economy – and, therefore, emissions – but when combined together the result could be very significant. As part of the Ford group, Jaguar was
one of the first volume manufactures to adopt aluminium for the main vehicle structure of its XJ models (Fig. 1).
Fig. 2. Aluminium is used for the body structure on the latest Jaguar XK models, which were shown for the fist time at the Detroit Auto Show 2009.
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Fig. 1. Jaguar was one of the first volume manufactures to adopt aluminium for the main vehicle structure of the XJ models.
Being lighter than steel, aluminium presents the opportunity to save weight and therefore reduce fuel consumption. Aluminium is also used for the body structure on the latest Jaguar XK models, which were shown for the fist time at the Detroit Auto Show 2009, with the weight reduction helping to improve performance (Fig. 2).
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