In 2022, the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced updated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards aimed at improving vehicle efficiency, reducing emissions, and strengthening domestic energy independence. These regulations require an industry-wide fleet average of approximately 49 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks by model year 2026.
While future targets are still under discussion, the 2022 standards remain the current benchmark that automakers are required to meet. The rules call for an eight percent increase in fuel efficiency for model year 2025 and a ten percent increase for model year 2026, compared to previous levels. These updates represent an estimated fleet-wide improvement of nearly ten miles per gallon compared to 2021 levels.
To help meet these requirements, many automakers are adopting lightweighting strategies for their vehicles. This is particularly relevant for electric vehicles (EVs), which carry the added weight of battery systems. Reducing overall vehicle mass supports energy efficiency and contributes to an extended driving range.
Fasteners may be small, but their impact is wide-reaching. From lightweighting and energy efficiency to corrosion resistance and thermal performance, these components play a critical role in helping EVs meet evolving CAFÉ standards and performance goals. (All images: Optimas Solutions)
These standards also support broader efforts to reduce transportation-related emissions and fuel demand. A study by the International Transport Forum examined how lowering vehicle mass can contribute to CO₂ reductions in road transport.
The study found that reducing vehicle mass to levels observed in the mid-1970s could significantly reduce emissions and help meet targets such as the European Union’s goal of a 60% reduction in transport CO₂ emissions by 2050. Mass reduction across all vehicle types could also help bridge the gap between current performance and long-term climate goals while providing financial benefits to drivers.
While much attention has focused on powertrain innovation, reducing vehicle weight remains an important strategy for meeting efficiency targets. This has prompted a closer look at every component category, including fasteners. As a high-volume part of a vehicle’s build, fasteners offer opportunities for material substitution, design optimization, and part consolidation that can contribute meaningfully to overall weight reduction and performance improvement.
Supporting CAFÉ goals
Fastener manufacturers are working closely with automotive OEMs and engineering teams to support compliance with Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards by identifying new strategies to reduce vehicle weight. One area of focus is minimizing the number, type, and mass of fasteners across platforms.
Fasteners can account for up to 50% of a vehicle’s bill of materials (BOM) by part count. Optimizing this component category can make a meaningful contribution toward achieving fuel economy and range targets.
Automotive OEMs are pursuing several fastener-based innovations to improve efficiency and performance.
These include:
- Use of alternative materials
- Engineering support for system-level improvements
- Redesign of existing fasteners for better performance
- Lightweighting through optimized fastener geometry
- Parts consolidation to reduce total part count
- Reduction of waste in addition to weight
Alternative materials
In EVs, lightweighting is essential to offset the added mass of battery systems and improve overall efficiency. Fastener manufacturers are supporting this goal by using advanced raw materials that enable high-performance, lower-mass components.
Materials such as aluminum, high-strength steel, and engineered plastics are increasingly used to reduce fastener weight without compromising strength. These innovations contribute to extended vehicle range, better handling, and improved energy consumption, which are essential metrics for EV performance and competitiveness in today’s market.
Lightweight fasteners like these are being reengineered to reduce mass, support structural integrity, and help EVs meet demanding efficiency and range goals.
Engineering as a service
EV manufacturers are increasingly collaborating with fastener engineers to integrate design, material selection, and process optimization. This approach helps identify sources of excess weight and inefficiency early in development, resulting in lighter and more cost-effective components.
By refining material use and production methods, engineers support EV platforms in achieving strength-to-weight goals without compromising structural reliability.
In fact, according to a study published in Environmental Sciences Europe, reducing an EV’s body weight by 100 kilograms can lower energy consumption by approximately 0.6 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometers. This translates to improved efficiency and contributes to extending driving range under real-world driving conditions.
Additionally, a review in the Journal of Cleaner Production emphasized that combining material substitution with optimized design and manufacturing methods is one of the most effective engineering strategies for improving lifecycle performance and efficiency in EVs.
In EV development, vehicle mass directly influences battery sizing, cost, and thermal management. Lightweight fasteners help mitigate these compounding effects. Engineers are also rethinking joint configurations within new platform layouts, such as skateboard chassis designs, which require integrated fastener solutions.
Simulation tools such as FEA, fatigue analysis, and vibration testing are now routinely applied in early fastener design stages. These practices, combined with lifecycle and recyclability assessments, make fastener selection a multidisciplinary engineering task.
Overall, reducing unnecessary fastener mass improves energy efficiency and supports longer driving range, which are critical performance objectives in EV design.
Fastener redesign
As automakers work to reduce costs, particularly in assembly, redesigning fasteners can support broader efforts to reduce product weight. Switching to lighter materials, such as switching from steel to aluminum, can reduce weight in areas like non-structural rivet applications.
For larger joints, collaboration with fastener suppliers during the design phase, including the use of tools like BOLTCALC and durability testing, can help validate weight reduction strategies. When appropriate, reducing the diameter or changing the grade of a fastener may offer further weight savings. For example, transitioning from an M8 to an M6 fastener can reduce weight by as much as 30%. Using smaller fasteners may also reduce installation space, contributing to more compact and lightweight designs.
In addition, fastener rationalization and consolidation efforts can reduce the overall part count. Revisiting the specifications or selecting alternative fasteners can influence how manufacturers integrate these components into production and influence overall product performance.
Conclusion
As EV production expands to meet regulatory goals and customer expectations, manufacturers are reassessing every component to improve energy efficiency and extend driving range. Fasteners are part of this effort. Automakers are working with suppliers to reduce vehicle mass by redesigning fasteners, selecting lighter materials, and consolidating parts.
According to current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards, the average EV produced in model year 2026 is expected to achieve 33% better energy efficiency compared to 2021 models. That means drivers will need to recharge less often to travel the same distance, reducing energy consumption over time.
Fastener manufacturers continue to support this transition by contributing to weight reduction across EV platforms. Their work helps automakers meet performance targets while also advancing long-term environmental goals.
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