James Baughman won the Inventor of the Year Award from the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation for the plasma transferred arc for spraying a thermal coating into aluminum engine blocks.

Aluminum engine blocks weigh substantially less than a standard engine, which improves gas mileage. Weight is effectively the third clean fuel in automotive, akin to batteries and biofuels. Bright Automotive and Aptera, for example, are adopting new materials to replace steel for various components in their cars. (Expect a bunch of material science startups and companies like Dow Chemical to tout materials for this market over the next few years.)

The spray eliminates a heavy cast-iron liner that is usually used in aluminum engines. Iron is used because of its low wear resistance. The spray cuts about six pounds out of the engine.