Motor Vehicle Parts Suppliers Applaud Fuel Efficiency Research Projects by Department of Energy

The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) applauded the Aug. 8 announcement of $21.5 million for 11 cost-shared research and development projects with the goal of improving light-duty vehicle fuel efficiency. “Motor vehicle parts suppliers represent about 40 percent of total automotive research and development investment and are already working with auto companies on a wide range of fuel-saving technologies, from bio-fuels to clean diesels to fuel cells,” said Bob McKenna, president and CEO of MEMA.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) applauded the Aug. 8 announcement of $21.5 million for 11 cost-shared research and development projects with the goal of improving light-duty vehicle fuel efficiency.

“Motor vehicle parts suppliers represent about 40 percent of total automotive research and development investment and are already working with auto companies on a wide range of fuel-saving technologies, from bio-fuels to clean diesels to fuel cells,” said Bob McKenna, president and CEO of MEMA. “MEMA supports this combined effort by industry and government to improve fuel efficiency. We are pleased that several of our members have projects recognized under this program.”

According to the Department of Energy, the 11 projects, selected for negotiation of awards, will focus on three areas: improving fuel utilization in ethanol-powered engines (engine optimization), developing advanced lubrication systems and exploring high-efficiency, clean combustion engines. Combined with industry investment, the projects will total nearly $43 million to support improvement of engine and combustion systems for the next generation of efficient vehicles.

MEMA member companies selected for negotiations of awards are:

Delphi Automotive Systems LLC in Troy, MI, has been selected for negotiation of an award of up to $2.2 million for a project to demonstrate a vehicle with an E-85 optimized engine, yielding up to 30 percent fuel efficiency improvement. Wayne State University will partner with Delphi.

Robert Bosch LLC in Farmington Hills, MI, has been selected for negotiation of an award of up to $1.5 million for a project to implement an integrated hardware-software system, yielding gasoline-like fuel economy when operating on E-85. Robert Bosch will partner with Ricardo and University of Michigan for this effort.

Siemens Government Services Inc. in Reston, VA, has been selected for negotiation of an award of up to $3 million for a project to investigate the potential of a turbocharged, direct-injection engine operating on E-85 to improve combustion and fuel economy as well as lower exhaust emissions. Siemens will partner with AVL Engineering and Rousch Engineering for this effort.

Visteon Corp. in Van Buren Township, MI, has been selected for negotiation of an award of up to $2.3 million for a project to achieve gasoline-like fuel economy when using E-85 by minimizing thermal, dynamic, volumetric and other system efficiency losses. Visteon will partner with DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, Mahle Powertrain and Michigan State University for this effort.

Caterpillar Inc. in Mossville, IL, has been selected for negotiation of an award for up to $491,000 to develop an environmentally friendly lubricant additive for enhancing an engine’s fuel efficiency. Caterpillar will partner with DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, NanoMech LLC, and the University of Arkansas for this effort.

Cummins Engine Co. in Columbus, IN, has been selected for negotiation of an award of up to $2.4 million for a project to improve fuel efficiency of a state-of-the-art light-duty diesel engine by 10.5 percent, while maintaining Tier 2, Bin 5 emission levels. Cummins will partner with Daimler-Chrysler and BP for this effort.