Automotive Technology News

Some say conventional switch solutions using electromechanical relays and fuses can't provide system diagnostics and fault reporting. This switch for automotive lighting applications overcomes the disadvantages. It provides diagnostics for the switch, light source, and wiring harness; and comprehensive fault management and load control.

In a recent issue of Sensors magazine, writer Andrew Glascott-Jones explains how MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes are now used in tilt measurement and headlight leveling applications for automobiles. The article discusses the requirements for a headlight leveling system for both static and dynamic leveling, including the design calculations for static leveling and the more complex system considerations for dynamic leveling.

Lighter weight composite materials generally make more fuel efficient vehicles, and a new hybrid thermoplastic composite doesn't challenge that theory. It does, however, offer a cost-saving boon, according to Composites World: low-pressure compression molding, which means manufacturers can save on aluminum tools. The result — half the weight of steel — can be applied to horizontal auto body panels.

The Lotus Evora, a four-passenger, mid-engine auto, won the Aluminum 2008 Award at September's Essen (Germany) industrial fair for its aluminum structure. The jury cited the vehicle's use of both adhesive bonding and mechanical joining, and its lightweight/high-stiffness for sustainable performance with less environmental impact.

BMW Sauber, a top Formula One racing team, avoided the expense of building a wind tunnel by relying on simulation software and high-performance computing for car design. That approach not only helped the team double its racing points in the 2007 season, but also won the company an award from Manufacturing Computer Solutions magazine. Featured in Sauber's simulation suite: ANSYS CFD software running on an Intel-based supercomputer built by DALCO, a Swiss integrator.

Automotive manufacturing got even more automated when one supplier opted to make the car door seal using a thermoplastic vulcanizate that is robotically extruded directly on the module. A direct seal eliminates adhesives and some labor costs, enhancing the benefits of quicker production cycles — all of which earned the process a Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) award.

Even though gasoline prices have retreated recently, efforts to improve fuel efficiency remain a prime concern. Researchers discovered that by adding materials to a well known semiconductor, lead-telluride, a new thermoelectric material can be created. Adding it to gasoline increases energy efficiency by 5 to 10%.

Ammonia borane (AB) may be the key to safely storing and releasing hydrogen to power vehicular fuel cells. Heating the compound releases hydrogen gas for fuel cell use; hydrogen is pumped in to replenish AB. Decomposition of ammonium borohydride yields AB with 99% purity, offering scope to meet requirements for on-board hydrogen storage.

More universities now offer would-be engineers the chance to prepare for a career that puts their knowledge to work in auto racing. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis added a motorsports bachelor's degree program this fall, touting such opportunities as designing engines or working on a NASCAR pit crew. Other programs, such as one described in an Old Dominion University video, offer racing specialties within broader engineering departments.

One carmaker plans to use the human-machine interface (i.e. dashboard) as motivation to "drive green." Instead of a miles-per-gallon indicator, this gas-electric hybrid offers images of green leaves. The more fuel-efficient one drives, the more leaves appear in the display.

Can the U.S. Auto Industry be Saved?

Can a merger save two troubled American car makers — Chrysler and General Motors? And why does it take so long for U.S. automakers to introduce products that would give them a leg up in the global marketplace, such as the long-awaited Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid?