Overview of lightweighting materials research & development in the United States FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership

摘要

Through the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership and its predecessor the PNGV, the USDOE has partnered with the USCAR and invested over 260 million dollars on R&D of technologies that offer the potential for light weighting the bodies and chassis for over-the-road vehicles. The R&D efforts so far have shown that there are materials and manufacturing options that are technically viable at fractional cost premiums that could and may be deployed when the economic circumstances are right to make a business case for them. Of similar and lasting value is the demonstrated collaborations between the automotive industry, government and academia to speed up the processes of discovery and understanding.