FY2020 Materials Annual Progress Report
The Materials Technology subprogram supports the Vehicle Technologies Office’s (VTO’s) mission to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technology toward achieving net-zero emissions in the transportation sector. The Propulsion Materials research portfolio seeks to develop higher performance materials that can withstand increasingly extreme environments and address the future properties needed for a variety of high-efficiency powertrain types, sizes, fueling concepts, and combustion modes. The Lightweight Materials research portfolio enables improvements in fuel economy by providing properties that are equal to or better than traditional materials at a lower weight. Because it takes less energy to accelerate a lighter object, replacing cast-iron (Fe) and traditional steel components with lightweight materials—such as advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), magnesium (Mg) alloys, aluminum (Al) alloys, and fiber-reinforced polymer composites—can directly reduce a vehicle’s fuel consumption. By 2025, the Materials Technology research activities seek to enable a 25% weight reduction of the glider for light-duty (LD) vehicles including body, chassis, and interior as compared to a 2015 baseline at no more than a $5/lb-saved increase in cost.