Vehicle Design Strategies to Meet and Exceed PNGV Goals

The paper argues that achieving tripled fuel economy requires a systems-optimization approach rather than incremental improvements. It proposes a combination of carbon-fiber composite body-in-white structures, low-drag aerodynamics, and series hybrid-electric propulsion. Modeling suggests that such a 'leapfrog' approach can yield vehicles achieving 80-100+ mpg while maintaining family-sedan utility and safety.

• The authors argue that the PNGV goal of a 40% reduction in curb mass is suboptimal; they suggest that curb-mass reductions of 50–55% are feasible, and potentially 60–65% if crashworthiness is addressed, which would enable more cost-effective propulsion technologies.
• Carbon-fiber reinforced composites are identified as a primary means to achieve significant mass reduction, with the potential for body-in-white (BIW) mass reductions of approximately 60–67%.
• The paper advocates for series hybrid-electric drivesystems over parallel or battery-electric versions because they decouple the auxiliary power unit (APU) from peak power requirements and vehicle speed, allowing for smaller, more efficient engines.
• To meet PNGV goals, the authors suggest a drag coefficient (CD) of 0.20 for baseline scenarios and 0.18 for optimized scenarios, noting that aerodynamic drag is the largest load at highway speeds.
• The document proposes using Load Leveling Devices (LLDs) such as ultracapacitors or flywheels instead of large battery packs to handle fast transients for acceleration and regenerative braking, which reduces overall vehicle mass.
• The authors suggest that 'mass decompounding'—where reducing one component's mass allows for the downsizing of others—is a non-linear process that can be leveraged through recursive re-optimization to achieve greater total weight savings.
• Modeling using the SIMPLEV program indicates that a PNGV design scenario could achieve 96 mpg in urban and 91 mpg in highway driving, while a 'further optimized' scenario could reach 128 mpg urban and 98 mpg highway.
• The paper argues that safety in ultralight vehicles can be maintained or improved by using rigid composite-fiber passenger compartments combined with staged, energy-absorbing crush zones.

APA

Moore, T. C., & Lovins, A. B. (1995). Vehicle Design Strategies to Meet and Exceed PNGV Goals. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T95-27_VehicleDsnStategies.pdf

Chicago

Moore, Timothy C., and Amory B. Lovins. Vehicle Design Strategies to Meet and Exceed PNGV Goals. RMI, 1995. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T95-27_VehicleDsnStategies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moore |first1=Timothy C. |last2=Lovins |first2=Amory B. |title=Vehicle Design Strategies to Meet and Exceed PNGV Goals |publisher=RMI |date=4 August 1995 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T95-27_VehicleDsnStategies.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{moore1995vehicle, author = {Moore, Timothy C. and Lovins, Amory B.}, title = {{Vehicle Design Strategies to Meet and Exceed PNGV Goals}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {1995}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T95-27_VehicleDsnStategies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }