The Key Challenges Faced By The Automotive Industry In The Drive To Reduce Carbon Emissions.

It is believed by the majority of the scientific community that the growing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for climate change. Globally, the use of internal combustion vehicles accounts for more than 15 percent of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions.
The EU and the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) have defined mandatory emission reduction targets for new vehicles, and severe penalties for noncompliance.
The automotive industry faces a very important challenge, as the way that today s vehicles use energy is not sustainable anymore. Automakers able to successfully deal with the increasingly tighter environmental legislation will develop a competitive advantage in the market. Legal and Marketing frameworks incentive to invest in new technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
Engineers working in the automotive industry play a crucial role in the battle for reduction of carbon emissions. They develop clean technologies and at the same time they have to discard the myth that lower emissions imply high cost.

Internal combustion engine emissions depend on the amount and type of fuel burnt. As a consequence, for vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine, the only way to reduce the CO2 emissions is to reduce the consumption of fuel. Engineers have found several ways to decrease vehicles fuel consumption.

One way is to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines. As a general rule, the greater the compression ratio, the more efficient is the engine. In a multi-cylinder engine, the technique known as variable displacement (under part throttle conditions) deactivates some of the cylinders, so the remaining ones operate under higher effective compression ratios.

Vehicles fitted with GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) increase the efficiency of the engines by injecting gasoline directly into the combustion chamber of each cylinder. Direct injection turbo-diesel engines use electronically controlled fuel injection and turbo-charging systems that increase the efficiency of the engine and its torque at low speeds.
Advanced thermoelectric technologies are used to convert engine s heat waste into electricity that powers vehicle s auxiliaries improving the overall fuel economy of the vehicle. These technologies are also used for improving the efficiency of the vehicle s air conditioning.
Reducing a car s mass is another way to decrease its fuel consumption and therefore cut down its carbon emissions. The challenge lies in developing new designs and materials that reduce the vehicle s mass and at the same time fulfil the many technical specifications and economical requirements.

Improving the vehicle s aerodynamics helps decrease the air resistance caused by its movement and therefore reduces its fuel consumption. Wind tunnels and computer simulation software are the main tools used by the engineers involved in research and development of these new vehicles.
Automotive industry engineers are also involved in the development of eco-innovations that contribute to CO2 diminishing. For instance, the use of solar panels converting sunlight into electric energy powering either the vehicle s engine or some device that forms part of the vehicle.
Engineers carry out the design and manufacturing of green vehicles. These green vehicles have been designed bearing in mind the reduction of carbon emissions.
Hybrid cars design includes an internal combustion engine powering the car directly or charging the on-board batteries. These vehicles can also charge the batteries when braking. Hybrid cars still emit CO2 when their combustion engine is working.
Engineers are also looking at the development of electric cars powered by electric motors, which are energised by batteries that are recharged by plugging them into the grid. In other designs, the run-down batteries are removed from the vehicle and fresh ones are fitted into it, reducing the refuelling time. The run-down batteries can then be recharged and used again. The disadvantage to these types of cars is the high cost of the batteries and the limited driving range.

Plug in hybrids are mostly recharged from the grid, however they include a combustion engine to increase the driving range.
Fuel-cell vehicles powered from a high pressure hydrogen tank are being tested, but a smaller, lower cost storage system for hydrogen has to be achieved.
For all these green vehicles, we have to consider that when the combustion engine is powered off, carbon emissions are still present in their manufacturing. The same applies for the production and distribution of the electricity used to charge the batteries of electric cars.

As a conclusion, developments in vehicles propulsion systems are progressing rapidly, but still ample research has to be carried out to overcome this environmental and technological challenge. So far, there is no clear indication as to which combination of combustion engines, fuel cells, batteries, or other technologies will power the vehicle in the years to come.