SAE Update - November 2021 - 25

FOCUS:POWERTRAIN
AND PROPULSION
SAE Fellows share powertrain thoughts
For this special section, Update called on
several SAE Fellows to share their thoughts
about powertrain misconceptions and
other aspects of powertrain and propulsion
technologies.
Thomas Ryan is retired
from Southwest Research
Institute. Among many
other distinctions, he
served as SAE president in
2008.
Thomas W. Ryan III, Ph.D.
SAE Fellow 2000
All of my experiences with SAE have
taught me that the automakers are
assemblers, marketers, and style designers,
and that much of the content is made by
the suppliers. I am also learning that the
current switch to electric is pushing this
thread even further towards the suppliers.
Frankly, I am also surprised that the utilities
appear to be silent on the fact that this
trend is also pushing much of the
environmental responsibility from the
automakers to them. I agree with this shift
from a technical perspective....best to
control one large source of emissions
rather than making millions of smaller
emissions-control systems.
This past winter in Texas, we had a oneUPDATE
week
period where
the utilities could not
make enough power
to keep the grid on
and we had to heat
our homes with the
fireplace and to use
flash lights to see in
the dark. This
experience taught
me that the electricgeneration
industry is not ready for the day
when everybody will also want to charge
their cars. Please ask the utilities if they
recognize this trend!
I am now retired from Southwest
Research Institute. I have over 100
publications in the areas of engine, fuels,
and combustion research.
Mingfa Yao is Professor of
State Key Laboratory of
Engines (SKLE), Tianjin
University.
Mingfa Yao, Ph.D.
SAE Fellow 2019
The biggest misconception is that electric
vehicles are the only way to achieve
carbon-free emissions, zero pollutant
November 2021
25

https://www.sae.org/publications/collections/content/E-JOURNAL-03/

SAE Update - November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - November 2021

SAE Update - November 2021 - Cov1
SAE Update - November 2021 - Cov2
SAE Update - November 2021 - 1
SAE Update - November 2021 - 2
SAE Update - November 2021 - 3
SAE Update - November 2021 - 4
SAE Update - November 2021 - 5
SAE Update - November 2021 - 6
SAE Update - November 2021 - 7
SAE Update - November 2021 - 8
SAE Update - November 2021 - 9
SAE Update - November 2021 - 10
SAE Update - November 2021 - 11
SAE Update - November 2021 - 12
SAE Update - November 2021 - 13
SAE Update - November 2021 - 14
SAE Update - November 2021 - 15
SAE Update - November 2021 - 16
SAE Update - November 2021 - 17
SAE Update - November 2021 - 18
SAE Update - November 2021 - 19
SAE Update - November 2021 - 20
SAE Update - November 2021 - 21
SAE Update - November 2021 - 22
SAE Update - November 2021 - 23
SAE Update - November 2021 - 24
SAE Update - November 2021 - 25
SAE Update - November 2021 - 26
SAE Update - November 2021 - 27
SAE Update - November 2021 - 28
SAE Update - November 2021 - 29
SAE Update - November 2021 - 30
SAE Update - November 2021 - 31
SAE Update - November 2021 - 32
SAE Update - November 2021 - 33
SAE Update - November 2021 - 34
SAE Update - November 2021 - 35
SAE Update - November 2021 - 36
SAE Update - November 2021 - 37
SAE Update - November 2021 - 38
SAE Update - November 2021 - 39
SAE Update - November 2021 - 40
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https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23UPD11
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https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23UPD02
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23UPD01
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD12
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD11
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD10
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD09
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https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD06
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD05
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD03
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD02
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22UPD01
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD12
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD11
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD10
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD09
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https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD07
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD06
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD05
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD03
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21UPD02
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