LOCAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT | FUEL EFFICIENCY

2013 Ram illustrates work needed to get better fuel economy

By TERRY BOX
Automotive Writer tbox@dallasnews.com

All cars and trucks face much tougher fuel-economy standards between now and 2016, with requirements jumping dramatically to 54.5 miles per gallon in 2025. In the next three years, full-size pickup trucks must increase their mileage by about 22 percent a real challenge for vehicles that can weigh 5,000 pounds or more and need heavy frames and powerful engines for hauling and towing.

Many small steps to savings

These are some of the steps that the 2013 Ram pickup the most recently redesigned truck in the segment is taking in hopes of achieving an estimated 21 miles per gallon combined economy, which would be best in class: Stop-start increases fuel efficiency by shutting the engine off when the truck comes to a complete stop. The engine restarts automatically when the driver releases the brake, allowing seamless acceleration. A thermal management system that heats engine and transmission fluids to reduce friction when the engine is cold, improving fuel efficiency 1.7 percent.

Reaching the 2016 standards

Car and Driver calculated how much each must improve its fuel economy to achieve the 2016 numbers. Chrysler trucks Ford trucks GM trucks Nissan Toyota 22.9% 19.1% 19.3% 26% 21.8%

Current fuel economy

2012 model pickup trucks

City Electric power steering rather than a belt-driven hydraulic pump that should improve fuel efficiency 1.8 percent. Pulse-width modulation limits the amount of electricity drawn by the fuel pump and cooling fan to what they actually need, much like a light-dimmer. A redesigned frame that reduces weight by 30 pounds using highstrength steels. New cross-members in the pickup bed eliminate 7 pounds of weight, a redesigned front bumper saves 4 pounds, and an aluminum hood cuts weight by 26 pounds. Air suspension that automatically lowers the truck 1.1 inches at speed, decreasing aerodynamic drag and improving fuel efficiency by up to 1 percent. Active grille shutters that close when cooling is needed least, directing air flow over and around the front of the truck and improving fuel economy by 0.5 percent. They open when additional cooling is required.
SOURCES: Dodge; Edmunds.com; Dallas Morning News research

Highway

Combined

Low rolling-resistance tires that move more easily, increasing fuel economy. An 8-speed automatic that will be standard on the new upgraded base V-6 and will later be available on Hemi V-8 Rams. The transmission has twice as many gears as the previous transmission for the V-6, which should make it much more efficient.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 regular cab 15 20 17.5 Ford F-150 regular cab 17 23 20 GMC 1500 regular cab 15 20 17.5 Nissan Titan crew cab S 13 18 15.5 Ram 1500 regular cab 14 20 17 Toyota Tundra regular cab 16 20 18

The bottom line

We can make smaller engines with the same capability as larger ones, but will a customer buy a four-cylinder pickup? Performance and utility are what sell these vehicles. The great test for us is can we develop these [fuel-saving] technologies and make them commercially viable in the time-frame we are dealing with? Reg Modlin, director of regulatory affairs at Chrysler Group I dont think the cost for all this new technology will cut too deeply into [automakers] profit margins. Pickups and truck-based SUVs traditionally have the largest margins and still do so they would have more to play with. Also, so much of the cost of what they are doing is spread across the largest base of vehicles that most manufacturers have pickups. Automakers walk a thin line in trying to wring fuel-savings from pickups. Truck-buyers pay close attention to a trucks towing and hauling capabilities. They may not be willing to trade reduced capabilities for better fuel mileage.

George Hoffer, business professor at the University of Richmond who follows the auto industry

Terry Box, auto writer, The Dallas Morning News