Automotive Engineering

As of October 1 this year the EU requires that emissions of nitrogen oxides be reduced by 30 percent in trucks and 50 percent in diesel-powered cars. In 2008 these regulations will be become more stringent in Europe, and even more so in the US. The technical solution chosen by nearly all automakers to meet the requirements was originally developed by the Lund University in Sweden. Now these researchers are working on methods to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions even more.

Emissions of nitrog

A recently completed EU project developed better tools for integrated microcircuit design; achieved some world firsts in performance analysis and now may even spin off a new company to commercialise some of its new technologies.

The DEMAND project wanted to develop a reliable and cost-effective design process for ‘smart power’ integrated circuits. This type of microchip can integrate a wide variety of functions into one piece of silicon. The advantage is lower-cost and increased r

Anticollision systems will be the next step on the way to even safer cars. Researchers in Trondheim are helping the automotive industry to turn plans into reality.

Modern vehicles contain a large number of built-in computers. The project aims to develop software for use both in anticollision systems and in systems designed to prevent car from turning over. In both systems the vehicle itself takes command when it is physically impossible for the driver himself to react sufficiently

Emerging wireless technologies for vehicle-to-vehicle communication promise to dramatically reduce fatal roadway accidents by providing early warnings to motorists. As well as improving road safety, such technologies will also help optimise traffic flow and enable drivers to take greater control of their vehicles.

This is the broad vision behind the IST-funded project CarTALK 2000. The project developed cooperative driver assistance systems and a self-organising ad-hoc radio network

A public-private effort to develop more fuel-efficient automobiles and eventually introduce hydrogen as a transportation fuel is well-planned and identifies all major hurdles the program will face, says a new report from the National Academies’ National Research Council. Many technical barriers must be overcome and new inventions will be needed, but the program, which was launched three years ago, has already made an excellent start, said the committee that wrote the report.

Novacel, a world leader in innovative industrial surface protection solutions, has launched Novacel 9377, the first adhesive film without solvent for the protection of car bodies during transport and storage. Through the launch of Novacel 9377, the French company is underpinning its commitment to a sustainable development policy.

Novacel 9377 features a 60µm adhesive film with a polyolefines basis, white in colour, and makes it possible to successfully protect car bodies against exte