Listed below are all documents and RMI.org site pages related to this topic.
Transportation - Fossil fuel reduction opportunities - automotive design 23 Items
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-Carbon_fiber_market_share_by_company
The carbon fiber manufacturing market is very concentrated; six companies produce nearly 93% of the world’s supply of carbon fiber.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-carbon_fiber_cost_breakdown
Carbon fiber costs are primarily driven by manufacturing. Within the manufacturing process, petroleum-based precursors account for just over half the cost of carbon fiber. Across the industry, manufacturing costs are dominated by the high cost of carbon fiber precursor materials.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Horsepower_overcome_aerodynamic_drag
Each 10% decrease in an auto’s aerodynamic drag can raise its fuel economy by very roughly 3%.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-advanced_composite_hypercar_class_autobodies
The Hypercar (shown) achieved 53% curb-mass reduction without compromising safety. Its 14-part structure was much simpler than its typical 100–200 part counterparts made of steel and aluminum. A paper by Oak Ridge National Laboratory drafted a concept of a composite intensive body-in-white with 18 parts. Its concept had over a 60% mass reduction, also with uncompromised safety.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-CF_precursor_basics
Raw carbon fiber is made from either polyacrylonitrile (PAN) or a petroleum pitch precursor. Rayon was used prior to the development of PAN. These fossil-fuel-based materials come from petroleum refining or natural gas processing.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Tire_price_and_rolling_resistance_coefficient
It costs little or no more to purchase tires with dramatically improved rolling resistance. Going from the least to most efficient tires improves fuel economy by over 8%.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Drag_coefficient_and_retail_price
As with lightweight autos, more aerodynamic autos needn’t cost more. A survey of currently available autos shows that lower drag vehicles, as a whole, cost no more than less aerodynamic ones.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Energy_flow_through_a_typical_internal_combustion_engine_drivetrain
This chart shows why less than 0.5% of the energy in a typical modern auto’s fuel actually moves the driver, and only 5–6% moves the auto. An auto's weight is responsible for more than two-thirds of the energy needed to move it. All told, 86% of the fuel energy never reaches the wheels.