Automotive fuel economy : how far should we go? / Committee on Fuel Economy of Automobiles and Light Trucks, Energy Engineering Board, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Committee Staff on Fuel Economy of Automobiles and L, Corporate Author.

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Fuel Economy of Automobiles and Light Trucks.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Automobiles--Fuel consumption--Standards--United States.

Automobiles.

Automobiles--United States--Fuel consumption.

Automobiles--Motors--Exhaust gas--Environmental aspects--United States.

Automobiles--Fuel consumption--Social aspects--United States.

Automobiles--Fuel consumption--Government policy--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (279 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington : National Academy Press, 1992.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Explores the technical, financial, psychological, environmental, and political factors weighing for and against significant improvement in gas mileage for American cars and light trucks. Acidic paper. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Contents:

Automotive Fuel Economy

Copyright

PREFACE

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

TECHNICALLY ACHIEVABLE FUEL ECONOMY LEVELS

PROVEN AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING FUEL ECONOMY

SAFETY IMPLICATIONS

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

THE CONSUMER

POLICIES FOR IMPROVING FUEL ECONOMY

1 INTRODUCTION

FUEL ECONOMY TRENDS SINCE 1975

THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF REDUCED AUTOMOTIVE FUEL CONSUMPTION

Potential Benefits

Potential Costs

THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROBLEM

ORGANIZATION OF REPORT

REFERENCES

2 FUEL USE IN AUTOMOBILES AND LIGHT TRUCKS

THE VEHICLE AS A SYSTEM

ENGINE TECHNOLOGY AND FUEL USE

Standard Engine Technology

Performance/Fuel Economy Trade-Offs

FUEL ECONOMY TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE NEXT DECADE

Proven Technologies

Emerging Technologies

SUMMARY

3 SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF FUEL ECONOMY MEASURES

BACKGROUND

VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS AND FATALITY RISK

Risk of Crash Involvement

Risk of Injury

Design Compatibility

SAFETY ISSUES IN IMPROVING FUEL ECONOMY

Impact of Downsizing and Downweighting on Safety

Past Studies

Data Issues

Individual versus Societal Risk

Light Trucks

Potential for Enhancing Safety through Design and Technology

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING SAFETY AND FUEL ECONOMY

Exposure Control

Crash Prevention

Behavior Modification

SAFETY AS A SOCIETAL VALUE

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

4 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

THE NATURE OF AUTOMOTIVE EMISSIONS

AUTOMOTIVE EMISSIONS CONTROL AND AIR QUALITY: A BRIEF HISTORY

STANDARDS IN THE 1990 CLEAN AIR ACT AMENDMENTS

Federal Standards

California Standards

Emission Standards and Technology Development

EMISSIONS CONTROL AND FUEL ECONOMY

Control of Oxides of Nitrogen

The Technical Challenge: Lean NOx Catalyst.

Alternative NOx Control Strategies

Control of Hydrocarbons

Heated Catalysts

Gasoline Volatility

Reformulated Gasolines

Sulfur in Gasoline

Alternative Fuels

Control of Stationary Sources

Impact of Emissions Standards on Light Trucks

Surveillance of Existing Vehicles

INDIRECT IMPACTS

CONCLUSIONS

5 IMPACTS ON THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

EFFECTS OF COMPETITION

Industry Trends

Employment Trends

Changing Market Share

Product Development

Manufacturing Productivity

Capacity for Investment

Structural Change in the Industry

THE INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE MARKET

Impact of Fuel Prices

Concerns over Greenhouse Gases

6 THE AUTOMOBILE, FUEL ECONOMY, AND THE CONSUMER

THE AUTO MARKET IS A REPLACEMENT MARKET

BALANCING FUEL COST, PURCHASE PRICE, AND VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS

THE AGING POPULATION MAY DEMAND FEWER SMALL CARS

SHIFTS IN AGGREGATE CONSUMER PREFERENCES

IMPACTS OF MANDATED FUEL ECONOMY ON THE CONSUMER

7 FUEL ECONOMY PROJECTIONS

PROJECTING FUEL ECONOMY LEVELS

Previous Efforts

Overview of the Projection Methods

Assumptions Common to All Projections

HISTORICAL TREND PROJECTIONS

BEST-IN-CLASS (BIC) PROJECTIONS

TECHNOLOGY-PENETRATION OR SHOPPING CART PROJECTIONS

Method and Assumptions

Data

Results

8 ACHIEVABLE FUEL ECONOMY LEVELS

TECHNICALLY ACHIEVABLE FUEL ECONOMY

PRACTICALLY ACHIEVABLE FUEL ECONOMY

Cost-Benefit Considerations

Costs and Benefits of Higher Fuel Economy to Consumers

Costs and Benefits of Higher Fuel Economy to Manufacturers

Sales

Employment

Competitiveness

Costs and Benefits of Higher Fuel Economy to the Nation.

Petroleum Consumption

Safety

Emissions and the Environment

The Risk of Choosing Incorrectly

POLICY COORDINATION AND ANALYSIS

9 POLICIES FOR IMPROVING FUEL ECONOMY

COMMENTS ON THE EXISTING CAFE SYSTEM

MARKET APPROACHES TO REDUCED FUEL CONSUMPTION

Increases in Fuel Price

Fees and Rebates for Fuel Economy

IMPROVING THE CAFE SYSTEM

Timing

Alternatives to Uniform Fleet Targets

Domestic Content

CAFE Credits

Unlawful Conduct

OTHER POLICIES FOR REDUCING FUEL CONSUMPTION

APPENDIX A PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING FUEL ECONOMY STUDY

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

PROPOSED EFFORT

PHASE 1

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

PHASE 2

Task 5

Task 6

ANTICIPATED RESULTS

Committee Agenda:

APPENDIX B PROVEN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES: FUEL ECONOMY AND PRICE IMPLICATIONS

DATA SOURCES FOR THE SHOPPING CART PROJECTIONS

ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES

General

Roller Cam Followers

Friction Reduction

Accessory Improvements

Deceleration Fuel Restriction

Compression Ratio Increase

Fuel Systems (Throttle-Body And Multipoint Fuel Injection)

Valve Train Technologies

Overhead Camshaft

Four Valves per Cylinder

Variable Valve Timing and Lift Control

Number of Cylinders

Transmission Technologies

Torque Converter Lockup

Electronic Transmission Controls

4-Speed and 5-Speed Automatic Transmissions

Continuously Variable Transmissions

5-Speed Manual Transmission

ROLLING RESISTANCE, AERODYNAMICS, WEIGHT, PERFORMANCE

Front-Wheel Drive

Aerodynamics

Weight Reduction

Electric Power Steering

Advanced Tires, Rolling Resistance

Reductions in Performance

APPENDIX C EMERGING ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES AND CONCEPT AND PROTOTYPE VEHICLES

EMERGING ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES

Lean-Burn Engine.

Diesel Engine

Two-Stroke Engine

CONCEPT AND PROTOTYPE VEHICLES

Appendix D Vehicle Size and Occupant Safety: Private Versus Societal Risks in Two-Car Collisions

APPENDIX E SHOPPING CART PROJECTION METHOD: AN ILLUSTRATION FOR SUBCOMPACT CARS

APPENDIX F COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES

APPENDIX G BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

INDEX.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786610211845

9781280211843

1280211849

9780309574952

0309574951

9780585037134

0585037132

OCLC:

614743246