Polestar, Toyota, Marelli, and others among
winners creating a more sustainable, lightweight future
TROY,
Mich., Aug. 1, 2023 /CNW/ -- Altair (Nasdaq:
ALTR), a global leader in computational science and artificial
intelligence (AI) has named the winners of the 2023 Altair
Enlighten Award. Presented in association with the Center for
Automotive Research (CAR), the Altair Enlighten Award honors the
greatest sustainability and lightweighting advancements that
successfully reduce carbon footprint, mitigate water and energy
consumption, and leverage material reuse and recycling efforts.
"The Altair Enlighten Award is a special award that showcases
how the automotive industry's leading minds – from the biggest
names to its newest startups – are applying advanced technologies
and responsible AI to create a better, greener industry," said
James R. Scapa, founder, and chief executive officer, Altair.
"Lightweighting, optimization, and sustainability are more
important than ever in the modern automotive industry. Altair is
proud to honor the innovations that will drive the future of a
sustainable industry."
"As always, we're honored to be presenting the Enlighten Award
together with Altair, and we look forward to seeing what
innovations this year's submissions bring as we work towards a more
sustainable automotive ecosystem," said Alan Amici, president, and chief executive
officer, Center for Automotive Research.
The complete list of all winning organizations, runners-up, and
honorable mentions are below.
Sustainable Product
- Winner (Passenger Vehicle): Polestar – Polestar 2
MY24
-
- The 2024 Polestar 2 features next-generation electric motors,
quicker charging, greater efficiency, and longer range — now up to
654 kilometers as measured by the Worldwide Harmonized Light
Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Despite the significant increases to
performance, range, and efficiency, the Polestar 2 also boasts a
reduced carbon footprint, with some versions now producing up to
three tons less carbon dioxide compared to the launch version
released in 2020. In addition, Polestar uses blockchain technology
within its supply chain to expand raw material traceability and
address social and environmental issues.
- Winner (Class 8): Nikola Corporation – Nikola Tre
FCEV
-
- When developing the new Nikola Tre FCEV, Nikola emphasized
recycling – 100% of car scrap produced in the production of
pre-consumer batteries was recycled and/or reused, and 100% of
hazardous waste produced during production was safely recycled.
Nikola also implemented a circular reuse program for all battery
pallets, and the vehicle manufacturing process consumed no
water.
- Runner-up: Lucid Motors – Lucid Air Sedan
-
- California-based EV
manufacturer Lucid Air has launched its flagship Lucid Air sedan,
which has broken industry records for range, charging speeds,
aerodynamics, and performance. The Lucid Air lineup — with its core
technology designed and engineered completely in-house — can add
300 miles of range in just 22 minutes of charge, carries an
industry-leading aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.197, and
includes trims with an EPA-estimated range of up to 516 miles and
mileage efficiency of 4.6 miles per kilowatt-hour.
Sustainable Process
- Winner: ArcelorMittal – Use of Biomass for Carbon-Neutral
Steelmaking
-
- The ArcelorMittal Port-Cartier pellet plant became the first in
the world to substitute pyrolytic oil for heavy fuel oil on a
continuous basis. By using this biofuel, produced locally by
BioÉnergie AE Côte-Nord Canada,
ArcelorMittal not only reduces its emissions but builds a true
regional energy ecosystem by uniting the two great resources of the
Côte-Nord region, iron and forest.
- Runner-up: Brose Antriebstechnik GmbH, Co.
Kommanditgesellschaft, Berlin –
Reman-Drive - Remanufactured E-Bike Drive
-
- Brose introduced a remanufactured, lower-cost drive that saves
21 kilograms (46.2 pounds) of carbon emissions per unit, while
maintaining quality standards. The process recovers and restores
previously sold, worn-out, or non-functional products to "like new"
conditions and saves material, costs, and carbon
emissions.
- Honorable Mention: Kasai Kogyo Co. Ltd. – Kasai Hi-Papia,
Kasai Original Sustainable Material
-
- Kasai Hi-Papia (KHP) is composed of 100% recycled polypropylene
(PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and pure talc. In addition,
material scrap from the KHP manufacturing process is reused. KHP
has helped spread the recycling plastic market and reduce the
amount of material needed by fabric manufacturers. KHP's adaptable
production system enables higher flexibility to support different
recyclable plastic contents in various regions.
Responsible AI
- Winner: Volteras – A Novel Way to Connect the Electric
Vehicle Ecosystem
-
- Volteras's API gives businesses access to electric vehicle (EV)
ecosystem data with a two-week integration that would take
organizations years to integrate otherwise. Its products allow
organizations to reduce energy waste and emissions, better manage
EV fleets, optimize charging across home chargers using its smart
charging algorithms, and more.
Enabling Technology
- Winner: Toyota, BASF Corp, and US Farathane – World's First
Adoption of Resin Frame for IsoDynamic Seat
-
- Toyota converted more than 17 multi-piece steel parts into just
one molded part, thus using far less raw material and decreasing
waste. In addition, the process also generated an estimated 20%
cost reduction and a 30% weight reduction. In addition, this is the
world's first adoption of lateral, vertical, and horizontal dynamic
motions with adjustable dampers for the driver and passenger seats
in off-road vehicles.
- Runner-up: NIO – HPDC Material and Processing Methods for
Efficient Structural Design
-
- With the goal of minimizing environmental impact, NIO used a
new alloy material that doesn't require heat treatment, and used a
more accurate, more efficient laser cleaning process. These changes
reduced part mass by 31%, reduced part count by 98% (turning 54
stamped parts to one), and slashed manufacturing time by 60%.
Module Lightweighting
- Winner: Toyota, Adient, and Multimatic – IsoDynamic Seat,
Accra®
SuperStructure
-
- Multimatic's Accra®
technology is a high-volume, hot-form manufacturing process that
uses form blow hardening (including rapid water quenching) to
manufacture ultra-high strength (boron) steel. Thanks to these
production adjustments, the process reduced mass by 17%, reduced
packaging space by 40%, and increased torsional load strength in
key areas by 30%.
- Runner-up: Nemak – BMW HPDC E-Bracket
-
- Nemak developed a new alloy material for high-pressure die
casting (HPDC) and reduced the BMW E-bracket's overall weight by
30%, resulting in a final weight of 16.74 kilograms (36.9
pounds).
Future of Lightweighting
- Winner: Marelli – Lightweight Urethane for Interior
Products
-
- Marelli developed a new lightweight polyurethane foam that can
be applied to all foam-in-place (FIP) applications, particularly
the main dashboard panel. It reduces part mass by 40% with new
tooling, 8% from current tooling, and reduces volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) by 80% compared to the current polyurethane foam
in use – all while retaining a high-quality feel and
appearance.
- Runner-up: Solvay Specialty Polymers – Ajedium™ PEEK Slot
Liners
-
- Ajedium™ PEEK slot liners can reduce battery pack weight by 12
kilograms (36.4 pounds) and the e-motor size by 4 kilograms (8.8
pounds). Additionally, there's no requirement for high-power
dedusting equipment or climate-controlled storage to prevent
moisture uptake – which reduces energy consumption – since PEEK
slot liners can be inserted via existing equipment. The reduction
in aluminum casting motors uses less energy and material than
before.
- Honorable Mention: WorldAutoSteel, Ricardo plc – Steel Body
Structures for Fully Autonomous Vehicles
-
- As the world's first autonomous vehicle constructed to fulfill
the most stringent crash requirements, WorldAutoSteel and
engineering partner Ricardo developed this concept vehicle that
features a 282-kilogram (621.7-pound) body structure, and a 25%
mass reduction over an expected reference vehicle. It also has the
potential to reduce total lifecycle carbon emissions by 86%, which
will help meet global net-zero goals.
- Honorable Mention: Michigan
Technological University for Auto/Steel Partnership – Steel
E-Motive Side Closure Mechanism
-
- By developing this mechanism using advanced high-strength steel
(AHSS) instead of aluminum, there is the potential to reduce carbon
emissions by 3x while also reducing manufacturing costs.
The Enlighten Award winners will be announced in an awards
ceremony at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars on August 1, 2023, at 7:30
a.m. ET. For more information about the Enlighten Award,
visit https://altair.com/enlighten-award.
Partners for the 2023 Enlighten Award include Automotive
Engineering SAE, Tech Briefs, Auto Bild Japan, Automobile
Industrie, and the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
(KSAE).
About Altair
Altair is a global leader in computational science and
artificial intelligence (AI) that provides software and cloud
solutions in simulation, high-performance computing (HPC), data
analytics, and AI. Altair enables organizations across all
industries to compete more effectively and drive smarter decisions
in an increasingly connected world – all while creating a greener,
more sustainable future. For more information,
visit https://www.altair.com/.
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SOURCE Altair