TROY, Mich. —

 Altair, a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), has named the winners of the 10th annual Altair Enlighten Award. Presented in association with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), the Altair Enlighten Award honors the greatest sustainability and lightweighting advancements that successfully reduce carbon footprint, mitigate water and energy consumption, and leverage material reuse and recycling efforts.  

“The caliber of nominees for this year’s Enlighten Award was unparalleled and is a true testament to the investments the automotive industry is making to reach – and even exceed – global sustainability targets,” said Richard Yen, senior vice president, product and strategy, Altair. “As we celebrate our tenth year and have evaluated hundreds of worthy entries over the years, we have seen this award evolve from showcasing vehicle lightweighting initiatives to companies now fully embracing sustainability and the commitment to building a net-zero environment and circular economy.”

“The winners of the 2022 Enlighten Award have demonstrated the great strides the automotive industry has made in creating more sustainable products,” said Carla Bailo, president and CEO, Center for Automotive Research. “Collaborating with Altair over the past ten years has allowed us to showcase on a global stage the automotive sector’s most unique and proven approaches to meet weight reduction and sustainability goals.”

The complete list of all winning organizations, runners-up, and honorable mentions are below.

Sustainable Product

Winner: Ford Motor Company – 2022 F-150 Lightning

• The 2022 Ford F-150 Lighting with an extended range battery delivers up to 580 horsepower and 775 lb.-ft. of torque – the most torque of any F-150 ever – as well as a high-tech front trunk and the ability to power your home if needed. The F-150 Lightning is powered by dual in-board motors with up to 320 miles of range on select models and is built on an all-new steel frame that supports a maximum 2,235-pound payload and up to 10,000-pounds of towing capacity.

Runner-up: Lacks Enterprises – Composite Wheel Technology 

• Lack Enterprises’ innovative, weight-saving composite wheel technology is recognized in a joint Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report titled “Midterm Evaluation of Light-duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for Model Years 2022-2025.” The patented wheel design allows for multiple finishes and designs on the same wheel backbone offering increased trim level differentiation, while saving costs and optimizing aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

Sustainable Process

Winner: Nemak – Recycled Materials for Sustainable Manufacturing & Product 

• Nemak’s Melting Center specializes in the production of aluminum-silicon alloys for the automotive industry. Recycling 2.5 billion aluminum cans per year, Nemak contributes to a more sustainable manufacturing. With a recycling capacity of more than 400k tons per year, the process decreases the amount of energy needed to extract primary aluminum by 95%, thus eliminating 4.8 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Runner-up: ArcelorMittal – First Industrial Large Scale Hydrogen Direct Reduced Iron Test (H2 DRI Test) 

• ArcelorMittal has launched the first large-scale green trial of hydrogen-based injection in a DRI plant. Through a $10 billion investment plan, this milestone will propel the future large-scale supply of green steel to automotive original equipment manufacturers.

Sustainable Material

Winner: Ford Motor Company – 100% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Ocean Plastic (PA6) Wiring Harness Clips

• Ford has implemented an …….

  Source: https://www.sme.org/technologies/articles/2022/august/altair-announces-winners-of-enlighten-award/