The ‘Towards the Sustainable Vehicle Era’ workshop offered a debate on the environmental impact and safety of transport in the near future
TURIN, Italy, Nov. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Electric and hybrid vehicles, batteries, components: the frontiers of research in the field of sustainable transport embrace different and complementary disciplines, all at the forefront in the research of Politecnico di Torino, which is relaunching its solid tradition in the transport sector looking to the future of mobility. In fact, the university has invested heavily in innovation and technologies related to sustainable transport, proposing a multidisciplinary approach with two newly established Interdepartmental Centres, bringing together different competences. The CARS-Centre for Automotive Research and Sustainable mobility and the PEIC-Power Electronics Innovation Centre enable the convergence of skills from different disciplines, involving different research groups within the Politecnico, and work daily alongside leading national and international companies to address the challenges of electrification and the dual digital and sustainable transition in the transport sector.
The occasion to take stock of the most cutting-edge technologies in this field was the second edition of the workshop ‘Towards the Sustainable Vehicle Era’, organised by the two Centres, with 250 participants and 130 companies active in the frontier sectors of sustainable mobility. The event provided a unique opportunity to explore emerging issues and technology trends in the sustainable transport sector. The presentations brought examples of both academic research and research carried out in partnership with industry on three main thematic areas: future perspectives of sustainable vehicles, autonomous and connected vehicles, and emerging technologies and components.
In a setting that also displayed frontier prototypes presented by some of the companies collaborating with the Politecnico, the discussion focused on topical issues, such as an analysis of future automotive propulsion scenarios with AVL emphasizing that a strict 2035 ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) sales could hinder the broader adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles, such as range-extenders and plug-in hybrids, which effectively complement battery-electric vehicles in reducing global CO2 emissions. The electrification strategy must be supported by research, as stated by Stellantis, that also underlines the need to recruit qualified engineers with expertise at both the vehicle and component levels. Another topic brought by Italdesign's contribution was driver experience and interior design, which are being rapidly developed in the company using sophisticated augmented reality tools.
Sensors for the realisation of autonomous and connected vehicles was the second major theme of the conference. Speakers from Spike Reply, Pirelli and Iveco emphasized the importance of collecting and processing the data that can be obtained from the sensors that vehicles are equipped with. Such sensors include those located in tyres, lidar, radar, cameras. The data collected are crucial for road safety services and vehicle maintenance, and for enabling the use of AI to support the vehicle, freight and driver. At the same time, however, the sensors and the in-vehicle control and processing unit are also vulnerable to cyber-attacks. It is therefore important to devise solutions that make the vehicle secure.
The third session was devoted to emerging technologies and innovative components applied to the electrification of transport, with four presentations bringing the viewpoints of a carmaker (Volvo Cars-Sweden), two TIER1 companies (Marelli Motorsport and Dumarey Torino) and a manufacturer of innovative GaN semiconductors (Renesas/Transphorm-USA). The solutions presented, jointly developed with the Politecnico di Torino, included rare-earth-free electric motors and innovative power electronic converters implemented with the new GaN semiconductor technology, with the aim of proposing high-efficiency and sustainable cost solutions for automotive applications.
A special focus was also dedicated to the research of the Politecnico student teams, who benefited greatly from this important opportunity to interact directly with Politecnico researchers and research structures, as well as with the industries which always play an important role as partners in the development of their prototypes. In particular, ‘Squadra Corse’ and ‘Squadra Corse Driverless’ teams had the opportunity to showcase their Andromeda and Claudia vehicles to the companies and the public.
“Through this annual event, Politecnico di Torino is committed to ensuring a constant debate on the issues of the environmental impact and safety of transport in the near future, involving industrial realities in the University's research at all levels, from student teams to major funded projects, for a shared reflection on how to respond to the needs dictated by climate change,” emphasised Professors Nicola Amati, coordinator of the CARS Centre, and Radu Bojoi, coordinator of the PEIC Centre. “This event shows that Politecnico di Torino is a leading academic reference for the industrial world, able to cover the entire supply chain related to terrestrial mobility. We are satisfied with the interest received and are ready to continue presenting our vision of future sustainable mobility.”
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