NEWS BRIEFS FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 23, 2006

Nason takes charge of NHTSA as it enters a busy period - with new regulations for vehicle roof, tire, side impact protection and fuel economy standards in place, proposed and being formed. A lawyer and lobbyist, she had previously served as assistant secretary for governmental affairs at DOT.

Prior to that assignment, her government experience included positions with the U.S. Customs Service, the Office of Congressional Affairs and the Intelligence Committee.

(Source: White House, DOT)

WASHINGTON (Jan. 18, 2006 - The Automotive Service Association (ASA) says that California Assembly Bill 1852 (AB 1852) will harm both consumers and repairers. Introduced by Assembly members Ed Chavez, Bill Maze and Leland Yee, the legislation regulates the use of replacement crash parts, creating a parts certification system in the state of California. 

ASA is opposed to AB 1852, as it repeals current and important consumer parts notice requirements in California and shifts and increases the paperwork required for collision repair facilities. ASA noted that language that had protected a consumer's right to know has been deleted. Furthermore, although the proposed legislation establishes a generic parts notification in the written estimate, the process as drafted could be more confusing to the consumer and less helpful. 

Collision repair facilities will be required by the legislation to report on a daily basis any automaker collision repair part or certified collision repair part that does not function as intended and is exchanged or returned to the manufacturer or distributor. This report to the director of consumer affairs will, at a minimum, include the transaction date, the name of the manufacturer, the serial, certification, or unique identifying number for the part, the make, year and model of the vehicle and a description of the defect.

"ASA believes this bill will dilute established consumer protections in California and place additional bureaucratic burdens on collision repair facilities.," says Bob Redding, ASA's Washington DC representative, said, "In lieu of this initiative, the California parts notice statute should have remained intact and consumers given an additional right of consent as to the use of the replacement crash part. This bill does not provide choice for the consumer or enhance current consumer protections." 

For additional information, visit the ASA Web site.

(Source: ASA)

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (Jan. 17, 2006) - As part of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded FreedomCAR program, Sandia National Laboratories' Power Sources Technology Group is researching ways to make lithium-ion batteries (LI) work longer and safer. The research could lead to these batteries being used in new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in the next five to 10 years. 

The FreedomCAR program, initiated by President Bush in 2002, focuses on developing hydrogen-powered electric vehicles to help free the United States from dependence on foreign oil supplies. Sandia's work focuses on battery abuse tolerance and improved longevity. 

"We want to develop a battery that has a graceful failure - meaning that if it's damaged, it won't cause other problems," said Dan Doughty, manager of Sandia's Advanced Power Sources Research and Development department.

While current HEVs use nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries, a safe LI battery has several advantages in an HEV application: close to three times the energy density, longer life and the potential to be a lower cost battery system. "Batteries are a necessary part of hybrid electric-gasoline powered vehicles and someday, when the technology matures, will be part of hybrid electric-hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles," Doughty added.

He maintains there is no "magic bullet" for completely stable LI cells. He feels the solutions will result from improved cell materials, additives and cell design, as well as good engineering practices. "We have to understand how batteries fail and why they fail." 

The technical goal is to comprehend mechanisms that lead to poor abuse tolerance, including heat- and gas-generating reactions. Understanding the chemical response to abuse can point the way to better battery materials. 

With the progress made to date Doughty says. "It won't be long before these batteries will be used in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. And the great thing is this technology will be able to transfer over to the electric-hydrogen fuel cell powered hybrid vehicles of the future."

(Source: Sandia National Laboratories)

BOSTON (Jan. 17, 2006) - "Automotive Sensor Demand Forecast 2003 - 2012," a new study from Strategy Analytics, predicts that the automotive sensor market for 2006 will be $10.1 billion in 2006, up 11 percent from 2005. Furthermore, the study says that planned vehicle performance, feature and safety enhancements will combine to drive the market to $15.8 billion by 2012. The largest growth was for silicon-based sensors.

According to the research firm, light vehicle production is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.6 percent, while automotive sensor revenues will grow by 10.1 percent CAGR. Applications driving this growth include more stringent environmental and safety legislation and consumer expectations for features that improve performance, enhance comfort or provide convenience.

"The automotive industry has made great strides toward improved performance in mature electronics applications," said Simon Schofield, senior analyst, Automotive Practice, Strategy Analytics. "Powertrain and safety systems continue to grow, creating new demand for sensors reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions while making safer vehicles." 

He explained, "Added functionality and the growing software content of new systems drives the need for additional sensor types. For example, we are seeing the first applications of lane departure warning in mass produced vehicles, which has created new demand for infrared optics and cameras. Sophisticated control and diagnostic requirements are driving integration and advances in smart sensing strategies. Our analysis shows that a combination of new sensing applications and the migration from passive to active devices will result in silicon-based sensors exhibiting the highest component growth rate."

(Source: Strategy Analytics)

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Jan. 18, 2006) - Research and Markets has announced that its "Automotive Component Manufacturers: Global Best Practices Statistical Yearbook: 2005 Edition" is now available. With a total of nearly 400 pages of firm-level statistical information, the reference also includes a unique opportunity to compare a company's performance against it. 

The yearbook provides answers to questions such as identifying the rapidly changing standards of the global automotive industry, defining cutting edge best practice in all facets of operations, determining areas that a company lags or excels at, and measures of competitiveness. Key drivers that are analyzed include cost control, quality performance, value chain flexibility and reliability, human resource development, accident frequency, production downtime and product development.

The firm says that a company's performance against the averages will provide a clear indication of whether it is meeting the competitiveness challenge of a global operating environment. To facilitate the self-assessment process, the yearbook also includes a self-assessment tool that Research and Markets says can concisely and accurately depict a company's comparative performance.

For more information visit the Research and Markets Web site.

(Source: Research and Markets)

DETROIT (Jan. 18, 2006) - According to the Enhanced Protective Glass Automotive Association (EPGAA), laminated glass automotive applications are on the rise.

EPGAA says laminated glass meets all regulatory and industry standards for performance of glazing materials. Compared to conventional tempered glass, laminated glass has several benefits that have contributed to its growth in automotive applications:

* Safety: In addition to meeting global automotive safety standards, laminated glass could help save up to 1,300 lives annually and reduce occupant ejection,- according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

* Security: With a tough plastic interlayer or film composite, laminated glass provides significant increases to intrusion resistance - enough to deter most would-be thieves.

* Sound reduction: The plastic interlayer also helps provide protection from outside wind and road noises, keeping the car interior quieter by three to four decibels, says EPGAA, as well as more comfortable. This benefit allows automakers to offer consumers a vehicle with additional value without significantly increasing the cost of the vehicle. 

* Solar protection: With the addition of an available infrared (IR) reflective coating, laminated glass can reduce the effects of solar heat by up to 18