The PLM strategy consultancy CIMdata has published a new commentary on “How PLM is Decarbonizing Automotive Transport—Amid Political Uncertainty.” The publication was authored by PLM Green Global Alliance participant Mark Reisig, Executive Consultant at CIMdata, and Ameya Joshi, CEO and Founder of MobilityNotes.
In announcing the commentary CIMdata’s Cheryl Peck writes: “In this new commentary from CIMdata, we explain how PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) is a strategic tool for the automotive industry to achieve decarbonization. Despite political uncertainty in the U.S., PLM enables manufacturers to maintain momentum by focusing on global sustainability demands from Europe, China, and other markets. Decarbonization is no longer just a regulatory issue; it’s a competitive necessity driven by investors and consumers. Ultimately, companies that use PLM to embed sustainability—through electrification, circularity, and materials management—will be best positioned to succeed.”
A new article from PTC Arena Solutions profiles an example of how PLM software helps global battery companies navigate growth and challenges. The author Joseph Prock writes:
“Product lifecycle management is playing a pivotal role in supporting the battery industry. PLM systems provide a centralized location to manage all product-related information, ensuring that information is consistent, current, and accessible to all stakeholders. This centralized product record facilitates better collaboration among teams, from research and development to manufacturing and quality assurance, leading to more efficient and streamlined processes.
PLM is significantly transforming the battery industry by helping streamline product development processes, enhance innovation, sustain compliance with industry regulations, and helping the industry to meet the growing demand for efficient, high-quality, and sustainable battery solutions.”
Learn more about the the importance of PLM in battery development by reading the entire article HERE.
(Feature image courtesy of and credit of PTC Arena Solutions.)
Mark Reisig, CIMdata’s Sustainability & Green Energy Practice Director and PLM Green contributor, has authored a new commentary on “Addressing the Cost of Sustainability During Early Product Development.”
In his opening Mark summarizes key takeaways of the paper:
“Effectively addressing sustainability factors throughout the product lifecycle is becoming a critical business imperative. Customers increasingly expect products—and the processes behind their development, delivery, and operation—to align with ever more stringent sustainability standards.
Companies that embed sustainability evaluations early in their development process and across their supply chain will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace, improve their efficiency and resiliency, and meet sustainability goals, which leads to long-term profitability
Manufacturers across all industries need to adopt an integrated approach to calculating both cost and carbon footprint earlier in their design and development processes.”
Other topics covered in the commentary include:
The Current State of Addressing the Sustainability Challenge
Solving the Sustainability Challenge
Carbon Footprint Calculators
Teamcenter Solutions from Siemens Industrial Software
Integration for Comprehensive Digital Twins
Applying an Integrated Strategy for Sustainability and Efficiency
The full commentary along with useful references may be downloaded HERE.
The European SUSTAINair initiative is to provide the aviation sector with a transition runway to a low-carbon circular economy while tackling the increase in resource consumption, waste, and emissions along the entire aviation component value chain.
The recent project report deliverable “New Recyclate Materials with LifeCycle Impact Assessment” defines Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Economy, and then explores a LCA-CE model for the aviation industry to bring the principles together for assessing the environmental impact of new materials.
By PLM Green Global Alliance contributor and green energy moderator Mark Reisig, Executive Consultant and Sustainability Practice Director from CIMdata.
Decarbonization, the use of renewable energy, electric mobility, heating solutions, and the energy transition will only occur if a smart, secure, distributed grid is completed in time. A simple analogy would be building a house without a foundation. Now, let’s project out to 2030. Suppose you recharge your electric vehicle (EV) with electricity from the existing grid. In that case, the energy could still originate from fossil fuels because an intended renewable energy project was not completed or could not connect to the existing grid. In this scenario, the EV helps our decarbonization efforts, but the energy used to make the electricity doesn’t. Ideally, we would recharge EVs with electricity over a smart grid from renewable sources with zero emissions.
Last year the PLM Green Global Alliance was excited to speak with PLM solution providers SAP, Autodesk,Dassault Systems, Sustaira, Aras, and PTC to learn about them and their customers’ contributions to sustainability. This year we were equally enthused to meet with CIMdata’s Mark Reisig in a wide-ranging conversation about sustainability, climate change and green energy.
This green aviation example from Aviation Week describes how “proponents of hydrogen-electric propulsion are pushing deeper into short-haul air transportation with deals that could see the conversion of large turboprops and regional jets and the first zero-emissions commercial passenger flights with smaller aircraft as soon as 2024.”
The article goes on to report that “Startup ZeroAvia has announced an agreement with Alaska Air Group to develop a hydrogen-electric powertrain for the 76-seat De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400. Another with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ RJ Aviation (MHIRJ) division will evaluate conversion of the Bombardier-built CRJ regional jet family.”
ZeroAvia CEO Val Miftakhov is quoted saying “We believe that in the future almost every aircraft in the world will be powered by hydrogen-electric engines, simply because it is the most viable and scalable method for eliminating carbon and also to cut other harmful emissions from the aviation sector.”
As more products, industries and economies become electrified to meet greenhouse gas emission goals, the performance of batteries and sustainability of their production is becoming increasing important. Engineering.com has published a new white paper on battery modeling using multiphysics simulation softwarefrom CAE solution provider COMSOL.
The authors write that “Modeling and simulation are crucial for understanding the factors that determine a good battery cell design for a specific application, from the electrodes, electrolyte, separator, and current collectors in a battery cell to processes at the molecular, microscopic, battery module, and battery stack scales. Learn about the chemistries, physics, and design variables that need to be considered in battery design.”
Learn more about the CAE analysis of battery performance by downloading the white paper HERE.
The authors write in their introduction that “The number of countries announcing pledges to achieve net-zero emissions over the coming decades continues to grow. But the pledges by governments to date – even if fully achieved – fall well short of what is required to bring global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050 and give the world an even chance of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C.”
“This special report is the world’s first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth. It sets out a cost-effective and economically productive pathway, resulting in a clean, dynamic and resilient energy economy dominated by renewables like solar and wind instead of fossil fuels. The report also examines key uncertainties, such as the roles of bioenergy, carbon capture and behavioural changes in reaching net zero.”
“Propelling their mission towards delivering airlines zero-carbon, hydrogen-fueled flight, ZeroAvia is launching the development program for a 2MW hydrogen-electric powertrain for full-size regional aircraft. The program kick-off is supported by a new raise of $24.3 million, led by Horizons Ventures, joined by a new investor British Airways. Existing investors Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, Shell Ventures, and SYSTEMIQ also participated in the financing.”
“This new round accelerates the larger hydrogen-electric engine development for the 50+ seat aircraft and supports additional commercial airlines initiatives to adopt hydrogen in aviation. Today’s announcement brings the company’s total private investment to over $53 million and the total funding raised since inception to nearly $74 million.”
PLM Green Moderator Bjorn Fidjeland shares good news about a consortium to develop a green energy hydrogen infrastructure in this European news release about: “The seven companies in the GET H2 initiative are working to facilitate green hydrogen in refineries, steel production and other industrial uses, which could reduce 16m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2030.
The project would convert existing gas pipelines to transport hydrogen, connecting the German sites of Lingen in Emsland, Gelsenkirchen and Salzgitter near the Dutch border in stages between 2024 and 2030.
Partners alongside Evonik include BP, German gas suppliers OGE, Nowega, and Thyssengas, multinational electricity firm RWE, German steel subsidiary Salzgitter Flachstahl.”
Members of the new European Green Digital Coalition (EGDC) are committing to establish science-based targets for reducing GHG by 2030 and to become climate neutral or net-zero no later than 2040. Announced by the European Commission: “The CEOs of 26 European companies have signed a Declaration to support the Green and Digital Transformation of the EU. They have formed a European Green Digital Coalition, committing on behalf of their companies to take action in the following areas:
To invest in the development and deployment of greener digital technologies & services that are more energy and material efficient,
Develop methods and tools to measure the net impact of green digital technologies on the environment and climate by joining forces with NGOs and relevant expert organisations, and
Co-create with representatives of others sectors recommendations and guidelines for green digital transformation of these sectors that benefits environment, society and economy.
The European Green Digital Coalition will help not only the tech sector to become more sustainable, circular and a zero polluter, but also to support sustainability goals of other priority sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture, and construction while contributing to an innovative, inclusive and resilient society. Its members will work closely with the European Commission and others to deliver on their commitments and will report regularly on progress made. In 2022, the first available results and progress reports will be presented. 45 SMEs and startups support the European Green Digital Coalition and many will take the sustainability commitments to join in the near future.”
PLM Green Alliance moderator Bjorn Fidjeland recommends reading the KPMG report on “Resourcing the energy transition: making the world go round” which explores the transition to renewable energy, a growing dependence on natural resources other than oil, and the crucial link to the circular economy.
From the KPMG website “A net-zero world is dependent upon renewable energies to replace traditional power sources…. But there is a threat to supplies of the mined mineral and metals that drive these green technologies. In our latest report, Resourcing the energy transition: Making the world go round, we explain how the circular economy can help address these challenges. Reusing, recycling and repurposing metals and materials can contribute to surety of supply, and potentially reduce waste, pollution and carbon emissions by minimizing the need for extraction.”
The graph below, produced by KPMG in the report, on the supply country of origin and uses of rare earth minerals for green energy capture, distribution and storage is especially informative if not somewhat worrisome.
This green energy case study from Akselos profiles the use of Digital Twin modeling and CAE simulation in hydroelectric power generation that uses pumped storage where a reservoir is filled with water at times of excess power availability. Read more details HERE.
Riversimple and Siemens have begun collaborating towards sustainability and circular economy in the auto industry by preparing for the manufacture of Riversimple’s new hydrogen powered electric vehicle, the Rasa. Read more HERE.
This green energy example from the PLM solution provider TECHNIA illustrates the application of PLM technologies, like those available from their partner Dassault Systemes, to develop renewable energy from ocean and tidal currents. Read more HERE.
The data from Our World in Data is a useful resource about the source of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions by sector of the economy, and thus where PLM technologies may have the most value.
