Listed below are all documents and RMI.org site pages related to this topic.
Transportation 50 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-Projected_decline_in_US_transportation_sector_fuel_use
America's vast transportation system can continue growing and improving all without oil. In 2050 we’d rely on superefficient, lightweight vehicles and planes to move ourselves and our goods. For the remaining 3.1 Mbbl/d of liquid fuel demand not supplied by electric propulsion systems, 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels (or, in trucks, natural gas if desired) could be substituted for oil.
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-Efficiency_potential_for_heavy_truck_aerodynamic_improvements
Integrating four major aerodynamic features can save about 10% of heavy trucks’ fuel: a nearly sealed tractor-trailer gap, full skirting of the tractor and trailer, a rear drag reducing device, and
optimized cab shape with minimal aerodynamic discontinuities.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-engine_idling_vs_other_methods
Line haul trucks waste a great deal of fuel idling their engines overnight to power small “hotel loads” that cool, heat, and power personal electronics within truck cabs. Auxiliary power units reduce this use by two-thirds; electrified parking spaces eliminate it.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-heavy_truck_efficiency
Better design can save up to 45% of U.S. heavy truck fuel, or 1.7 Mbbl/d in 2050, at a weighted-average cost equivalent to $1.00-per-gallon diesel fuel.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Mass_reduction_for_class_8_heavy_truck
As with light duty vehicles, lightweighting trucks reduces tractive load. Over 2,800 lb of weight reduction potential is available, lowering the tare weight so more cargo can be carried by fewer trucks.
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.