WARRENDALE, Pa., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Automobiles in 2020 will get
35 percent better gas mileage at a 5 percent increase in cost, according to
scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Laboratory,
who will share their projections regarding future automotive technologies at
the SAE 2001 World Congress, March 5-8, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Key projections for 2020 vehicles, as compared to today's cars, include:
-- Baseline gasoline passenger car improvements, which are likely to be
driven by market pressures and tightening regulations, are
significant: 15 percent reduction in vehicle mass, 35 percent
reduction in fuel consumption and 5 percent increase in vehicle
price.
-- More advanced gasoline engine cars with improved transmissions, and
further reductions in mass and resistances, will decrease vehicle
mass another 8 percent and fuel consumption by another 12 percent,
with an additional 8 percent cost to consumers.
-- The direct hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicle will be the most
efficient and lowest emitting vehicle with nearly 55 percent lower
energy consumption than the evolving gasoline-powered vehicle, but
with a 40 percent price increase.
"Future Light-Duty Vehicles: Predicting Their Fuel Consumption and Carbon-
Reduction Potential", Paper # 2001-01-1081, will be presented in Room D0-04 on
Wednesday, March 7 in Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan.
The MIT scientists, Felix AuYeung, Professor John B. Heywood and Andreas
Schafer, also make predictions regarding gasoline hybrids, compressed natural
gas hybrids, advanced diesel engines, electric vehicles, and reformer fuel
cell vehicles, which process liquid fuels to hydrogen on board.
The research is part of a larger fuel and vehicle technology project at
MIT, and the addition of fuel production energy requirements and CO2 emissions
is important. Direct use of natural gas relative to petroleum improves total
system CO2 emissions, while production of hydrogen from natural gas or
petroleum fuels adds a significant energy and CO2 penalty.
The SAE World Congress, the world's largest showcase of automotive
engineering technologies, attracts attendees from more than 50 countries. To
attend, visit http://www.sae.org/congress or call 1-877-SAE-CONG (723-2664); outside
the U.S. and Canada, call 1-724-772-4027.
SOURCE Society of Automotive Engineers
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Related links:
http://www.sae.org/congress
CONTACT:
David L. Schwartz of SAE Corporate PR,
724-772-8516, or davids@sae.org
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