The FutureSteelVehicle (FSV) program features steel body structure designs that reduce mass by more than 35 percent over a benchmark vehicle and reduce total life cycle emissions by nearly 70 percent. This is accomplished while meeting a broad list of global crash and durability requirements, enabling 5-star safety ratings and avoiding high-cost penalties for mass reduction.

The FSV program developed optimized advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) body structures for four proposed 2015 to 2020 model-year vehicles: battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV-20) for A-/B-Class vehicles; and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV-40) and fuel cell (FCV) for
C-/D-Class vehicles.

This global program taps into the best attributes of steel, including design flexibility, strength and formability, low manufacturing emissions and comparative low cost. Mass reduction of 35 percent sets a new milestone in lightweighting with steel and places it at par with the mass performance of current aluminum production vehicles.

FSV also brings more advanced steel and steel technologies to its portfolio, including more than 20 new AHSS grades of materials expected to be commercially available in 2015 to 2020.  FSV produces optimized shapes and component configurations often mimic Mother Nature’s own design efficiency, where structure and strength are placed exactly where they are needed for the intended function.

The FutureSteelVehicle program is the most recent addition to the global steel industry’s series of lightweighting initiatives offering steel solutions to automakers around the world. FSV follows the 1998 UltraLight Steel Auto Body, 2000 UltraLight Steel Auto Closures, 2000 UltraLight Steel Auto Suspension, and 2001 ULSAB-Advanced Vehicle Concepts programs. In total, this body of research represents an $80 million investment by the global steel industry.