Listed below are all documents and RMI.org site pages related to this topic.
37 Items
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-US_oil_combustion_transportation
The U.S. burns 13 million barrels of oil a day for transportation. Most of this oil powers cars and light trucks. By 2050, the U.S. is expected to burn upwards of 17 million barrels of oil a day for transportation alone.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Buildings_energy_expenditures_vs_US_expenditures_2008GDP
Americans spent more than 3% of the nation's GDP in 2008 on building heating, cooling, and lighting—almost two-thirds of the entire defense budget and more than federal government spending on Medicare.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Vehicle_retail_price_curb_weight_new_cars
Lightweight autos needn’t cost more. The MY 2010 U.S. new-car fleet shows little or no correlation between lighter weight and higher prices.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-tractive_load_formulas
Powertrain efficiency from tank to wheels can't exceed 1.0, and is around 0.17 in a typical modern car or 0.35 in a good "full hybrid," but the energy needed to move the car can be reduced severalfold by making it lighter and more slippery.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-transportation_job_quantity_impact
In the transportation sector, Reinventing Fire affects jobs in oil exploration and production, auto manufacturing, auto parts and auto repair, and hydrogen and biofuels production. The net effect on jobs from these changes is relatively small.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Power_to_accelerate_0_60_in_9_seconds
Every 10% decrease in an auto’s weight can raise fuel economy by roughly 6%.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-efficiency_gain_low_rolling_resistance_tires
Losses due to rolling resistance are higher for heavier vehicles than for autos. In a Class 8 tractor trailer at 65 mph, 13% of fuel is lost to rolling resistance. Wide base single tires save about half of that today, more with next-generation tires.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-delivered_energy_intensity_car_manufacturing
Carbon fiber production is more energy intensive than steel production (by mass). However, because revolutionary autos will require less body mass, there are significant opportunities for energy reduction in the auto manufacturing industry.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Basic_characteristics_of_Revolutionary_plus_autos
Our Revolutionary auto class is based on RMI’s extensive work on the Hypercar. We use a cost model for superefficient battery-electric and fuel cell autos for both cars and light trucks. These vehicles, described in this table, are designed to compete with EIA’s average automobile in price and all driver attributes.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-industrial_grade_carbon_fiber_supply_demand
Carbon fiber material supply is currently increasing by 9–10 million pounds per year. Demand began a 10-fold increase with Boeing’s and Airbus’s new carbon-intensive airplane orders in 2005.