DaimlerChrysler unveiled its BLUETEC line of diesel-powered vehicles at a recent Washington, D.C. auto show. The three BLUETEC vehicles were designed utilizing Common Rail Diesel technology, which offers an improved fuel efficiency of 20 to 40 percent compared to gasoline-fueled cars.
The first BLUETEC passenger car will be the Mercedes-Benz E 320, which will be launched this fall in the United States. The BLUETEC technology includes an oxidizing catalytic converter and a particulate filter, as well as DeNOx (nitrogen oxide-reducing) systems. The overall aim is to make diesels as clean as gas engines, while retaining the 20 to 40 percent fuel consumption advantage.
DaimlerChrysler officials claim vehicles using BLUETEC technology beat hybrid cars in terms of fuel efficiency under real-life driving conditions that include long distances and towing capability. In addition to its work on diesel-power cars, the automaker is also developing fuel cell technology. The company presently has 100 fuel cell vehicles operating on the streets around the world gaining real-world experience.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
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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