Altair 2017 Enlighten Award open for nominations till May 26

As automakers the world over look to cut the grams and slash the kilos in their vehicles in a bid to achieve improved fuel efficiency and other gains, they are also employing innovative lightweighting methods and technologies. 

Simulation technology provider Altair and Center for Automotive Research (CAR) have, since four years, jointly instituted the Enlighten Award which recognises achievements in weight reduction across the automotive industry. The Altair Enlighten Award is the automotive industry’s only award program created specifically to acknowledge achievements in vehicle lightweighting.

The 2017 Enlighten Award, which is now open for nominations, is set to be presented on July 31, 2017 at the 52nd annual CAR Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) held in Traverse City, Michigan. Acknowledgements of the Enlighten Award will be made in two categories: Full Vehicle and Module. A third category, Enabling Technology, has been introduced this year.  

The Full Vehicle award is given for exceptional achievement in the lightweighting of an entire vehicle, with previous winners including General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Jaguar Land Rover. The Module award is given for innovation in the lightweighting of a subsystem or component, previously given to BASF and ContiTech, and the brand-new Enabling Technology award acknowledges the developments that facilitate lightweighting, such as a material, process or joining technology. 

“The Enlighten Award has been enormously successful since its conception four years ago,” said Richard Yen, vice-president, Global Automotive at Altair. “The pool of nominees has always been impressive, and in 2017 we expect the technology and designs to be as innovative as ever. We are really looking forward to learning more about what the automotive industry has been working on this year.”

Interested manufacturers and suppliers can submit a nomination, learn about the award criteria or access additional information about the process at altairenlighten.com/award. Designs submitted must be implemented on a production vehicle produced between August 2014 and August 2017 to allow for sharing with the public, while respecting business and technical confidentiality of all applications. The nominations deadline for the Enlighten Award is May 26, 2017, with the final judging taking place in June 2017.

“Leaders in the automotive industry are making exciting advancements in new approaches to automotive engineering and design contributing to further reductions in weight, fuel consumption, and emissions for light-duty vehicles, and over the last four years we’ve received many nominations demonstrating these innovations,” said Dr Jay Baron, president and CEO at the Center for Automotive Research. “We look forward to accepting this year’s terrific nominations demonstrating the determination of automakers and suppliers alike to meet the challenges of continued mass reduction.”

Last year’s full vehicle category winner, General Motors took the title for the development of its flagship CT6. The mixed material vehicle made use of multi-disciplinary optimisation techniques to achieve weight savings of approximately 99kg compared to a vehicle using predominantly high-strength steels.

The Enlighten Award is key for the automotive industry as it fosters innovation and encourages OEMs and suppliers to continually strive for improvement. To find out more and submit an entry, altairenlighten.com/award