Trimming fat new frontier for automakers

Dan Carney • E-mail

The latest statistics show they’re definitely getting heavier — no, not Americans, their cars. Automobiles driven in the United States packed on 125 pounds from 1968 through 2001, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and that’s just the estimate of the pork heaped on by new safety equipment.

Realizing the need to slim down, carmakers have started rolling out concept cars that explore the potential of lighter-weight vehicles to save on gasoline while still protecting drivers in the event of a crash. The Environmental Protection Agency says that a 10 percent reduction in car weight yields a 7 percent reduction in fuel consumption.

Hyundai’s “QarmaQ” concept car, introduced this week at the Los Angeles auto show, is a case in point. It uses plastic from 900 recycled bottles to make its hood, doors and other parts, shaving 132 pounds of weight off the weight of the same vehicle made with conventional car-building materials, like steel and aluminum.

Toyota was even bolder at last month’s Tokyo Motor Show, showing its 1/X concept, which is made of strong, light carbon fiber. The 1/X name is a reference to the idea that, in terms of weight, the car is a fraction of a regular car. The 1/X is one-third the weight of a fuel-efficient Prius and has an engine that’s one-third of the size, burning one-third the amount of fuel.

Some examples of car weight gain Ford: 2002 Ford Taurus                    3,336 lbs. 2008 Ford Taurus                    3,741 lbs. (Increase of 12 percent.) Honda: 2002 Honda Accord                3,097 lbs. 2008 Honda Accord                3,371 lbs. (Increase of 9 percent.) Chrysler: 2002 Chrysler 300                   3,581 lbs. 2008 Chrysler 300                   4,027 lbs. (Increase of 12 percent.) Sources: Ford, Honda and Chrysler

What’s not apparent from the car’s specifications is that the 1/X is also a fraction the size of a Prius. Seen in person on the show floor, the exotic concept more closely resembled a golf cart than a modern car, but it served the purpose of demonstrating the potential of cutting weight to save on gas.

“The significance of the 1/X shouldn’t be understated,” insists Michael Brylawski, practice leader of the transportation innovations group at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a groups focused on environmental issues. “With it, Toyota is saying the next frontier is going to be ‘lightweighting.’”

It needs to be. While the NHTSA’s research only shows the increase in car weight because of the addition of more safety gear up until 2001, the total weight increase in cars has only accelerated in the past six model years (see chart for examples).

Carmakers point to crash protection and comfort amenities as the automotive carbs and trans fats contributing to weight gain. An “increasing requirement for safety” is the main factor pushing up car weight, according to Tom Lane, vice president of product planning for Nissan.

When was the last time you bought a car without power windows and door locks, for example? Those parts require heavy electric servos, and their use mandates bigger, heavier alternators and batteries. The Lexus LS460 might be the current reigning gadget champ, with 125 electric servo motors on board.

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