Auto executives told the Reuters Auto Summit in Detroit last week that a gasoline tax is best the way to boost consumer adoption of electric vehicles. The executives said that “unless gasoline is $3.50 or $4 a gallon, consumers are not going to want to buy those cars.”
The group’s comments echoed an October study from Lux Research contending that sales of battery-powered electric cars and plug-in hybrids would struggle in the next decade unless gasoline prices triple.
The summit’s automotive group took the idea a step farther, however, calling for a gasoline tax that would ensure greater interest in EVs and plug-ins. “Gradually raising taxes to the point where fuel costs $4 to $5 at the pump will do more to stimulate demand in next-generation vehicles like general Motors’ forthcoming Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid than any other policy initiatives,” including the government’s $25 billion loan program meant to spark innovation, a Reuters story said.
The debate over unintended acceleration, having lingered around the periphery of the auto industry for more than two decades, may be about to receive a fatal blow.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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