SAE Update - July 2016 - 3

MESSAGE FROM
THE SAE PRESIDENT
high teens are now approaching 40% in new
designs from Toyota with the help of advanced designs. Highly efficient transmissions, stop/start systems, and more efficient
drivelines are further helping deliver more
of the energy in the gas tank to the wheels.
Meanwhile, alternative powertrains are
also on a fast track to improvement in performance and cost. Hybrids, and the more
recent plug-in hybrids, have been around
for nearly 20 years now. Toyota has perfected the science over four generations of the
Prius, which is rated at 56 mpg, combined
EPA city/highway. The 2012 Prius already
met the 2025 CAFÉ standard at the time
the rule was signed nearly four years ago.
Toyota alone has sold more than 8 million
hybrids worldwide, and there are some 60
hybrid models available from numerous
OEMs in the U.S. today.
Today, much of the excitement surrounds
electric vehicles whose powertrains are
about four times more efficient than ICE
powertrains in turning energy into motion.
Now there are a dizzying number of choices
that a typical consumer cannot even keep
up with. Battery electrics are probably entering a "next gen" era, and only after a
very short 5-6 years since the "gen one"
models hit the markets. What is behind that
is the 65% reduction in automotive scale Liion battery costs in the last six years, which
is now making possible a post-government
incentives price point of ~$30K for a car

UPDATE

with 200 miles range on one charge. In this
category, Tesla's model 3 has garnered most
of the press. But, it is often overlooked that
GM's Bolt meets those criteria and will be
available later this year as a 2017 model. Of
course sales of EVs are still in their infancy,
but their adoption rate has been much faster than that of hybrids. The new economics
of the "next gen" models are likely to put
their adoption on an exponential track.
And then there is what some have called
the "holy grail" of propulsion technology
when it comes to its cleanliness - the fuel
cell. Promoters have been seen drinking the
water that comes out the "exhaust" pipe of
a fuel cell car to champion its virtues. Fuel
cell technology has been around for a long
time, but adapting to automotive use with
its reliability/durability requirements at a
reasonable cost has proved elusive for many
decades. However, Toyota's Mirai, which is
on sale in California and Japan, is one of the
first to have a price tag that is within reach.
And, in California the Mirai's $60K price tag
can be reduced by some 20% with federal
and state incentives.
The advent of this new era of choices is
great for SAE International because our
Motor Vehicle Technical Standards
Committee is busier than ever with new
standards development. SAE's Automotive
Engineering magazine chronicles many of
the new developments in each issue. SAE's
professional development programs have

July 2016

SAE Update - July 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - July 2016