Abstract Scope |
The Materials Technology subprogram of the Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office supports the mission to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technology toward achieving net-zero emissions in the transportation sector by 2050. Lighter vehicles with more efficient powertrains reduce energy use, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and save consumers money. The structural and powertrain systems that we target to improve are limited by materials performance. By improving the properties of powertrain and structural materials, we can enable a significant improvement in energy efficiency for future vehicles. Increasing the thermal and electrical conductivity of low cost materials will enable increased electric vehicle efficiency while improving properties in structural materials such as stiffness, strength, join-ability, and crash energy absorption - all with lower cost, will accelerate the deployment of lightweight materials in the automotive market. Advances in additive manufacturing and joining methods have the opportunity to play a key role in achieving these improvements. |