Sustainable Lightweight Vehicle Design: A Case Study in Eco-Material Selection for Body-In-White

Abstract

Sustainable product development requires a balanced approach toward technological, economic, and ecological aspects. This chapter investigates the main input parameters and the various measures for vehicular structure design for sustainability in general and material selection for sustainable lightweight design in particular. This study proposes a set of metrics for material selection that takes all sustainability aspects into consideration. These metrics cover products' environmental impact, functionality, and manufacturability, in addition to the economical and societal factors. Moreover, this chapter discusses the role and impact of replacing steel with lighter engineering materials and how decision-making tools can act as a framework for eco-material selection.