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AD&P; > October 2013 > FEATURE > FEV: Pursuing & Developing Powertrain Performance > Christopher A. Sawyer by Christopher A. Sawyer > Contributing Editor Making powertrain technologies work together isn't enough, says FEV. Today, every system in the vehicle must work together to manage energy use. FEV Pursuing & DeveloPing Powertrain Performance FEV (fev.com), a Germany-based automotive powertrain consultancy with a North American technical center in Auburn Hills, MI, is, explains Gary Rogers, president and CEO of FEV, Inc., among a handful of companies that serve OEMs with an array of equipment, personnel, and know-how. "We have to make very signifcant and regular investments in engine test cells, dynamometers and emission measuring equipment without the beneft of being a small overhead rider on an automotive product that we sell," he says. Which explains why there are only about a halfdozen companies globally that is in FEV's space. It takes a large commitment. And investment. FEV has about 2,600 people around the world, of which 500 are in southeastern Michigan. "It's a relatively small fraternity," Rogers admits. 38 One of the responsibilities that arises from such a concentrated knowledge base is in sharing expertise with those outside the industry. Rogers has been personally involved in two of the National Academy of Science's Corporate Average Fuel Efciency (CAFE) studies, and this gives him a unique perspective. "I think the question of, 'Is it technically possible to get 54 mpg?' has been answered, and the answer is, 'Yes'. The question, 'Can we aford it?' is another question entirely." Afordability, Rogers says, encompasses both the OEM's development costs, and the consumer's ability to pay for the vehicle that results. It also brings up another question: "Do people want it?" "If we eliminated large cars and light trucks, and everybody had to buy an A- p Downsized, highly boosted engines, like Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost, will become more commonplace in the immediate future, as will more cost-efective hybridization. or B-segment car, we could get to a 54 mpg feet average very quickly," he says. "But that's not market reality." Yet, the CAFE regulations stand as public policy that carries a penalty for not achieving the stated goal. Thus, automakers must convince people to buy the products that result from meeting this objective. It is not helped by critics who believe that, over the past 15 years when CAFE standards were stable, the industry "tricked" an unsuspecting public into believing it needed horsepower, not fuel economy. Nothing, Rogers states categorically, is further from the truth. "The reality in today's world is that we