Review of the Research Program of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles: Third Report (1997)

The following is a list of recommendations from the committee's Phase 2 report.

Recommendation. The systems analysis effort recently initiated by the PNGV should be used to drive the optimization of materials usage for the various vehicle components based on part configuration trade-offs and on incorporation of data on manufacturing costs, structural effectiveness, recyclability, and other properties.

Recommendation. The USCAR should continue to use the process it has developed—incorporating its substantial leverage through integrated industry programs—to pursue the very promising developments in steel and aluminum materials made by materials suppliers and trade associations. The development of innovative manufacturing processes for aluminum and steel should be encouraged and accelerated.

Recommendation. The PNGV should establish an integrated product design program to provide better evidence for the advantages and viability of using polymer-based composites for automotive body structures. The program should:

• Develop computerized feature-based design and decision support tools to enable an integrated product design evaluation of the cost effectiveness of composites for vehicle structural applications.

• Validate the projected cost of $3 to $5/lb at high-volume through production process pilots.

• Address the development of a database and models to establish the crashworthiness of composite structures.

• Take into account relevant experience with composites in the aerospace industry.

The approach adopted to date by the PNGV (materials workshops, white papers, etc.) should be pursued on an accelerated schedule as a basis for establishing the above program.

Recommendation. The PNGV should devote substantial additional resources to the DICI hybrid powertrain in view of its relatively high potential to meet PNGV Goal 3 objectives.

Recommendation. The PNGV should develop a powertrain systems analysis methodology to aid in the evaluation of the potential gains and probability of success for various technologies.

Recommendation. The PNGV should perform vehicle packaging studies soon for each powertrain system that is likely to remain a candidate past 1997. Such studies would establish realistic size and shape goals for the component development programs.

Recommendation. The PNGV should perform a study to establish the energy balance, in-use environmental effects, and resource requirements, as well as production and distribution costs, for any fuels other than gasoline or diesel fuel being considered for use in Goal 3 vehicles.

Recommendation. PNGV should continue to develop flywheel and generator technologies.

Recommendation. On a stand-alone basis, batteries still appear to be the best near-term candidates for energy storage, and PNGV should fund development of the most promising battery system consistent with this potential.

Recommendation. PNGV should focus its ultracapacitor R&D on the most promising technologies, and serious efforts should be devoted to the investigation of a battery/ultracapacitor hybrid storage device.

Recommendation. The PNGV must continue to address infrastructure issues as an integral part of its program. A careful assessment of infrastructure issues

associated with alternative technologies should be an essential part of the technology selection process scheduled for 1997.

Recommendation. The PNGV should immediately involve DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in addressing and resolving the safety issues raised by Goal 3 vehicles.

Recommendation. The PNGV should assess the impact on the overall program schedule of the delay in implementing systems analysis and vehicle engineering tasks, and the need for remedial action. Priority projects must be identified and implemented by the technical teams as soon as possible.

Recommendation. The PNGV should formalize subsystem evaluation and selection process without delay, and performance criteria should be provided to the PNGV technology teams. The systems analysis must be an iterative process that continually receives new information, updates models, and provides updated results from optimizations and tradeoff studies to system, subsystem, and component designers.

Recommendation. Overall vehicle system and subsystem analysis driving component developments should be under the control of a USCAR technical director.

Recommendation. The committee still strongly recommends that the partners in USCAR appoint a single technical director as a way of benefiting from the leverage of an integrated organization in pursuit of PNGV goals.

Recommendation. The committee reiterates its earlier recommendation that senior management at DOC and DOE install a management structure with appropriate authority and responsibility as soon as possible and ensure strong, capable staffing. This structure should include a chief technical officer to provide technical direction to the wide array of government technical activities. The role of the chief technical officer becomes even more critical in the absence of a single USCAR technical program director.

Recommendation. The PNGV needs to have a better calibration of the state of development and predictions for commercial availability of foreign technology.

Recommendation. As a matter of urgency and in accordance with the committee's recommendation in its first report, the PNGV should conduct more

comprehensive assessments and benchmark foreign technology developments relevant to the program. If warranted by the results of such analyses, PNGV should reassess its research priorities.

Recommendation. To be successful, a complex development program such as PNGV must have well defined plans and objectives, adequate resources, and the support of sufficient funding. It is incumbent upon both USCAR and the government to ensure that adequate resources for the PNGV program are provided in a timely manner and used efficiently in overcoming the critical barriers to achieving PNGV goals.