Pedal Idea Refuted
John McElroy's idea of a fix for unintended acceleration is what I would expect from a politician, not an automotive journalist (see WAW — April '10, p.10).
He assumes that the gap and offset between the pedals hasn't been researched. Auto makers have spent decades studying the mechanics of the human body and how we interact with the controls of a vehicle. The accelerator and brake pedal gap and offsets have been defined for safety and driver comfort. They are based on years of research.
McElroy suggests increasing the gap and offset between the brake and accelerator would be a “simple design fix.” It would simply be a disaster for any car company to do. McElroy's proposed change would increase driver fatigue, and one test drive would be enough to keep buyers away from a car that feels awkward.
I would hope Mr. McElroy would do a little more research before he writes his next article. I agree brake-override systems and data acquisition should be implemented. Correct pedal ergonomics are already used. As for the ghost in the machine, it does exist. It's the driver.
Mark Vorndran
Fort Wayne, IN
Live Long, Prosper
When it comes to measuring the environmental friendliness of vehicles and their materials, the June editorial correctly advocates the use of lifecycle assessment (LCA) when looking at automotive materials (see WAW — June '10, p.2).
Ironically, however, the article mentions aluminum in the context of only a single stage of its total lifecycle: the manufacturing phase. In fact, more than 95% of the CO2 impact of most automotive materials occurs in the use phase — not the production phase. The savings that lightweight aluminum generates during the use phase far outweigh the production differences.
In fact, according to a new study on the lifecycle impact of steel, magnesium and aluminum released at the SAE World Congress, aluminum is the clear environmental winner. This report was not issued by the aluminum industry; it was conducted by the Magnesium Front End Research Development.
The study found magnesium delivers a 15% lifetime energy savings vs. steel, and aluminum yields a 20% lifetime energy savings vs. steel. When looking at the total lifetime CO2 emissions (including production), magnesium is 12% better than steel and aluminum is 20% better. Every pound of aluminum that replaces steel in a car saves 22.9 lbs. (10.4 kg) of CO2 over the life of that car.
Auto makers apparently agree with us that aluminum is the right choice for the future. Aluminum's share of the average car's weight has been growing for 40 years, with more growth ahead.
Randall Scheps
The Aluminum Association, Inc.
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