As European governments put increasing pressure on car manufacturers to reduce the CO2 footprint of their products, OEMs are increasing their innovation pace and scope, once again turning the automotive industry into the leading R&D sector in Europe.
Prof. Marc Sachon discussed several implications of the electrification of the powertrain and presented attending alumni and guests with some counter-intuitive insights of a recent research project as well as an ad-hoc survey among the attendees.
He showed that the origins of hybrid and electric vehicles are more than 100 years old. Developments that took place both outside and inside of the automotive industry of the early 20th century led to the demise of the “dominant technology,” which at the time was the EV - a fact that should certainly be kept in mind for today’s situation.
There are four key ways that car companies can reduce CO2 emissions, said Sachon. These are: reducing the mass of the car, reducing velocity, decreasing aerodynamic drag (which is a function of velocity) and improving energy efficiency (e.g., engines and gearboxes). All of these factors are being addressed by the automotive industry.
Prof. Sachon stressed that European governments should not force the introduction of hybrid and/or electric cars, due to the harmful effects this would have on the industry. Instead, the shift to hybrid and electric cars should be gradual and driven by successful business models, he said. Today’s multiple technological developments make it very difficult to predict which type of car people would be driving in 2021. His personal preference, however, would be a diesel-powered car from southern Germany.
