Lightweighting Impacts on Fuel Economy, Cost, and Component Losses
The Future Automotive Systems Technology Simulator (FASTSim) is the U.S. Department of Energy's high-level vehicle powertrain model developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It uses a time versus speed drive cycle to estimate the powertrain forces required to meet the cycle. It simulates the major vehicle powertrain components and their losses. It includes a cost model based on component sizing and fuel prices. FASTSim simulated different levels of lightweighting for four different powertrains: a conventional gasoline engine vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and a battery electric vehicle (EV). Weight reductions impacted the conventional vehicle's efficiency more than the HEV, PHEV and EV. Although lightweighting impacted the advanced vehicles' efficiency less, it reduced component cost and overall costs more. The PHEV and EV are less cost effective than the conventional vehicle and HEV using current battery costs. Assuming the DOE's battery cost target of $100/kWh, however, the PHEV attained similar cost and lightweighting benefits. Generally, lightweighting was cost effective when it costs less than $6/kg of mass eliminated.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Vehicle Technologies Program
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 1076639
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-5400-57607
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 1; Conference: Presented at the SAE 2013 World Congress & Exhibition, 16-18 April 2013, Detroit, Michigan
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY SIMULATOR
FASTSIM
LIGHTWEIGHTING
CONVENTIONAL VEHICLE
HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE
HEV
PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE
PHEV
BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLE
EV
Transportation