Designers use new tricks, and the wind tunnel

Ford's big, bruising Atlas Concept pickup displayed at the 2013 Detroit auto show showcased advanced aerodynamic features. Its active wheel shutters closed at highway speeds to seal gaps between spokes, reducing wind turbulence around the wheels and tires. And its front air dam raised and lowered at different speeds to improve underbody airflow.Ford Atlas ConceptNeither feature made the 2015 F-150. But with the Atlas, Ford was showing how future vehicles will cut through the air more efficiently, said Stephen Remondi, CEO of Exa Corp., a Boston-area software company whose PowerFLOW simulation program is widely used by automakers to reduce aerodynamic drag. Although fuel prices are down and petroleum industry experts expect gasoline prices to stay relatively low for another six months to a year, automakers still must meet stiffer global fuel economy and emissions standards. So there has been no letup in efforts to improve fuel efficiency. After powertrain improvements and weight reductions, slippery aerodynamics is the hottest area of research to boost efficiency. Here's why: At highway speeds, vehicles get a 5 percent fuel economy gain for every 10 percent drag reduction, Remondi said. And wind tunnels still have a role, even though automakers now do most design work with software. But the companies still want real-world data from a wind tunnel. General Motors is building a second wind tunnel at its tech center in Warren, Mich. Going virtual

Designers use new tricks, and the wind tunnel

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