Posted on 5-2-2002
Savings
Steel
Source: GreenBiz.com
PITTSBURGH, Pa., Jan. 30, 2002 – The steel industry has unveiled
a
conceptual design for steel-intensive compact and mid-size cars
that it
says would make cars more efficient to produce and drive.
According to the Steel Recycling Institute, vehicles employing
such the
conceptual design would achieve five-star crash safety ratings
from the
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and deliver
between
52 and 73 mpg. The vehicles would cost no more to build than
comparable
automobiles already on the road, the group said.
The ULSAB Advanced Vehicle Concepts (ULSAB-AVC) study aims to
provide auto
manufacturers with a steel-intensive vehicle to meet many of
the objectives
from the Partnership for a New Generation Vehicle (PNGV). The
study
emphasizes steel’s ability to maintain its long-term position
as the
material of choice for safe, affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles
that meet
growing societal demands for environmentally responsible vehicles.
According to Bill Heenan, president of the Steel Recycling Institute,
because steel is “the engine that moves end-of-life vehicles
out of the
waste stream” and into the recycling infrastructure, it is the
environmental material of choice when building future vehicles.
“By
utilizing new technologies and new steels, the steel industry
is helping to
reduce the weight of future vehicles without compromising safety.
The
source reduction will have additional environmental benefits
relative to
vehicle emissions,” Heenan said.
The Steel Recycling Institute, a unit of the American Iron and
Steel
Institute, educates the solid waste management industry, government,
business, and consumers about the economic and environmental
benefits of
recycling steel.
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