Progress is Happening

However, strides are being made in lightweighting. For instance, producers of truck wheels have managed to drop the weight of wheels by 5 pounds each, which NACFE considers significant. 

Frame cross members made with lighter materials are showing promise. New ideas being worked on are a film to replace paint on trucks, new frame development, and lighter weight composite truck cabs. As more and more battery electric vehicles populate North American highways, there is a race to lower car and truck weights in a timely fashion as our earthly home is becoming less and less inhabitable as weather events increase worldwide eg. hurricanes, typhoons, floods, and wildfires.

Long Road Ahead

Although it seems like it will take many years to restore the earth to a point where we once enjoyed good weather and relative safety, we owe it to the future generation to do whatever we can to improve the earth. For now, technology marches on and new ideas are already forming to make a difference. Benefits of electric vehicles include greater range with periodic charging, requiring lighter suspension components, better acceleration, improved handling, shorter braking distances will improve safety, reduced tire wear meaning lower cost, and improved cargo capacity to haul greater loads.

Mixing metals and plastic to lighten the vehicle and new material processing techniques are continuously being explored and updated. Lightweighting is catching on with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and could be the road to our future. But for now, motor on safely and with caution while conditions change and work to improve all our lives thanks to lightweighting.