Automotive Engineers Working to Develop Lower-Friction Components

It is not really news that the internal combustion engine creates a lot of friction. Every bit of heat, noise and vibration created by the engine, is energy that is not making it to the wheels to move the car. 

The VVT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Argonne National Laboratory in the US have found that 1/3rd of a car's energy is lost to friction, and they believe that with new materials, they can reduce friction by 80%. They say that this could improve fuel economy and emissions by 18%, and these changes could be implemented as soon as 2017. It is possible for even more gains in the next 15 to 25 years. 

Technologies like surface coatings, textures and lubricants will be responsible for decreases in friction. Tire companies are working harder to produce low rolling resistance tires that are not as big of a compromise as the ones available today. 

The two groups estimate that in every car used today's best available technologies could save €348 billion a year in fuel.

Source: The Green Car Web Site