SAE International's New Vehicle Electrification Website Scoring Big With Industry

WARRENDALE, Pa., Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Strong initial response to SAE International's new Vehicle Electrification website (http://ev.sae.org/ ) is proving the time was right to launch the industry's most complete source of engineering information related to Hybrid and Electric Vehicle development and technologies.

"The first month the web site was operational, it had more than 6,000 unique visitors and 10,000 page views," noted Bill Cariello, manager, Web Strategy/Operations, for SAE International. "The amount of visitor traffic tells us ev.sae.org is rapidly gaining audience acceptance."

Cariello said the new website, launched last fall and accessible to the public, was the logical response to the increasing global focus on developing electrified vehicles and their energy infrastructure. The new site includes the following resources related to hybrids, EVs, and related technology:

• Standards;
• Technical papers;
• Professional events;
• Books;
• Research Reports;
• Training; and
• A quarterly digital "magazine" covering the latest EV and HEV developments.

"This site is a valuable resource for mobility engineers seeking the most up-to-date information on standards, technology advances, product solutions, supplier news, vehicle development trends and insights from the most plugged-in experts in the electrified-vehicles field," Cariello noted.

He characterized the decision to launch the website and e-magazine as "a no-brainer," given the growing industry demand for high-quality, trusted technical information—SAE International's hallmark for more than 100 years.

The launch of the http://ev.sae.org/ website builds on SAE International's ongoing activities in the vehicle-electrification arena, including the development of global standards. In 2010, SAE released J1772—the pioneering standard for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle charging hardware. J1772 (J1772 - SAE Electric Vehicle and Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler) has been widely hailed as critical to consumer acceptance of plug-in vehicles and the expansion of the charging infrastructure.

A key feature of http://ev.sae.org/ is the new digital magazine that will initially appear quarterly. The first issue covered development of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the industry's first high-volume plug-in hybrid vehicle. The issue was conceived and written by Lindsay Brooke, a senior editor with SAE International's magazines group.

"Volt is in the vanguard of a new generation of electrified vehicles being developed by every global OEM to meet stringent emissions and fuel-efficiency regulations," Brooke explained. "SAE International's global engineering audience is keenly interested in the advanced technologies—batteries, power control, electric machines, systems integration, materials—being driven by these vehicle programs."

The Volt digital magazine is the result of Brooke's four years of reporting on the vehicle's development, including dozens of interviews with the GM and supplier engineers who brought the car to production despite many challenges.

"Visitors to http://ev.sae.org/ can expect each digital magazine to feature detailed, informative coverage of the most technically interesting new hybrids and EVs," Brooke revealed. "Positive feedback regarding the Volt issue from readers confirms that we've created a product that mobility engineers find very useful to them in their jobs."

To subscribe to the new e-magazine, visit the vehicle electrification Web site and click on the cover of the magazine in the upper left corner.

CONTACT: Shawn Andreassi, Manager, Corporate Communications, SAE International, +1-724-772-8522, +1-724-612-4992, [email protected]

SOURCE SAE International