Since the initial establishment of CAFE standards in the 1970s, periodic changes have been instituted to accommodate for growth, industry changes, and new information. As with most changes, each announcement has been met with a wide variety of reactions, from sharp criticism to fawning praise. The government’s most recent announcement has been no exception to this.
Over the past few years, the industry has seen an uptick in the use of FEA (Finite Element Analysis). Of course, this is unsurprising, given the software’s versatile applications. Through running models and prototypes through FEA, industry leaders are able to save valuable time and money by troubleshooting problems, both pre and post-production.
Are CAFE standards rising or falling? If we know one thing about American policy and lawmaking, it’s that nothing stays static forever. Over the past centuries of our country’s history, we’ve enacted laws, rolled them back, and reenacted new ones in their places. This is the shape of progress: sometimes we must take a step back in order to take new steps forward.
Over the course of the last year, potential changes to federal regulations for automotive production in the United States have sent ripples through the auto industry. After months of speculation and media buzz, the first official step came over the summer of 2017.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department have opened the public comment period on the rewriting of standards for greenhouse gas emissions for cars and light trucks for model years 2022-2025 (NPR).
It is certainly easy to see how tube hydroforming has transformed certain aspects of the automotive industry. At least, it is easy to see if you know what tube hydroforming is.
Since 1975, CAFE standards have been in effect for the automotive industry. Since that time, these standards have been updated several times, culminating in changes announced in 2014, which are now in effect across the board.
Though the wheels of progress do tend to turn slowly, we’re now seeing the culmination of many years’ of hard work.
Most private citizens are unaware that current CAFE standards exist, let alone what they mean and how they impact our society. That doesn’t mean that the average person remains unaffected by them, though.
Before we get to specifics, however, let’s consider what CAFE standards actually are and what they’re intended to accomplish.
Those who work outside very specific industries, such as the hydroforming or automotive industries, probably do not give much thought to current CAFE standards. In fact, many of them might not even be familiar with the term. Nevertheless, CAFE standards do impact their lives in specific ways.
