DATE: June 01, 2009
CONTACT:
Contacts listed below, 864-260-1261
Clemson University automotive experts
WRITER:
Media Relations, 864-260-1261
cunewsroom@clemson.edu
Clemson University automotive experts
Updated June 1, 2009
President Obama’s recent directive for tougher regulations to govern automotive fuel efficiency and tailpipe emissions will cause an uptick in research in the United States. Researchers with the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) have a jump start on the issue of making cars of the near future more efficient with fewer emissions. They are listed below and are available for interviews on this topic and the future of the automotive industry in the United States.
The automotive industry is alive and well in the United States says Clemson University professor and BMW Chair in Manufacturing Tom Kurfess. He says the industry is generating new, higher-skill jobs as it moves more into automation and robotics. As new concepts become reality, it is critical that they are rapidly integrated into next-generation vehicles and the plants that produce these vehicles and their sub-systems. “Systems integration in vehicles and vehicle manufacture is the future,” says Kurfess. “We are developing the capability to enable more efficient and effective development and deployment of both products and manufacturing processes.” For more, contact Kurfess (864-283-7219, kurfess@clemson.edu) or Susan Polowczuk in Media Relations (864-656-2063 or spolowc@clemson.edu).
President Obama’s fuel-efficiency directive has breathed new life into technical innovation in this country. It is now being rewarded, says Imtiaz Haque, executive director of the Carroll A. Campbell Graduate Center at CU-ICAR. Haque maintains that changing the way Americans think about automotive energy will have a further affect on all forms of energy use in our lives. The change is starting in the automotive sector. “Manufacturers now have the incentive to improve mileage capabilities of vehicles,” he says. “Innovation that has been shelved for so many years on the premise that it was too costly and had little return is now a necessity.” For more, contact Haque (864-656-5628 or 864-283-7220 or sih@clemson.edu) or Susan Polowczuk in Media Relations (864-656-2063, spolowc@clemson.edu).
Cars made 20 years ago had one processor and one electronic system. Today they are more reliable and less likely to break down due to the dozens of electronic systems found in new vehicles. Each has its own microprocessor and there can be three or even four systems just for brake handling. Todd Hubing, Michelin Professor of Vehicular Electronics, is developing electronic components, systems and design tools that will greatly improve the performance, fuel efficiency and reliability of the next generation of automobiles. His lab is developing new methods for storing and transforming electric energy more efficiently and with less electrical noise than existing methods. These methods recapture energy that is wasted in today's electric and hybrid vehicles. They also greatly reduce the electromagnetic fields present in the passenger compartment. For more, contact Hubing (864-283-7218 or hubing@clemson.edu) or Susan Polowczuk in Media Relations (864-656-2063, spolowc@clemson.edu).
In energy consumption, American vehicle manufacturing facilities spend around $4 billion annually on energy, of which 60 percent is consumed in painting booths. Current painting booths are long, slow and costly. CU-ICAR researcher and assistant professor of automotive engineering Mohammad Omar is introducing innovations in the painting technology and booth design to have a shorter, more efficient and flexible painting operation. This is achieved through investigating Ultraviolet UV curing technologies that reduce the curing oven space from 200 feet to two feet, while reducing energy consumption by 90 percent. New paint formulations are investigated to reduce the amount of paint required and can reduce the vehicle weight by 10 pounds. For more contact Omar (864-283-7226 or momar@clemson.edu) or Susan Polowczuk in Media Relations (864-656-2063 or spolowc@clemson.edu).
Editors, news directors: Clemson University has studios and uplink capabilities for broadcast interviews. Contact Wanda Johnson at 864-656-3038 or wj@clemson.edu for information.