Automotive technology drivers

Those technology drivers for the automotive industry relevant to engine tribology were recently addressed by Korcek et a/ [10] and are summarised in Figure 2. 

Figure 2 Technology drivers for a major automotive vehicle manufacturer, after Korcek et al (10]...

Technologies have been developed to reduce the hydrocarbon emissions during cold start. One of the technologies, the hydrocarbon adsorber [1-3] has been most attractive to automotive makers because it has the advantage in view of cost and performance. Hydrocarbons of the cold start depend on the condition of a vehicle, fuel and driver. About 100 hydrocarbon species are present in the exhaust of the cold start. They consist of about 10% methane, about 30% alkenes such as ethylene or propene, about 30% alkanes such as pentane or hexane, about 20% aromatics such as toluene or xylene, and about 10% other species. Therefore, a hydrocarbon adsorber has to show a good selectivity for the hydrocarbons. In order to remove the adsorbed hydrocarbons effectively, the hydrocarbon adsorber needs to have an additional function, hydrocarbon conversion. 

Thus, the weak but emerging importance of fuel economy and environmental friendliness, along with the growing importance of electric capacity, can serve as market drivers for automotive fuel cells. However, even if the technology s technical and infrastructure barriers are overcome, these drivers are unlikely to make the business case compelling over the next two decades because lower cost, less disruptive technologies can meet such needs for the foreseeable future (DeCicco, 2001). 

Despite the present-day dominance of ICE vehicles, recent environmental initiatives have revived interest in electric drives. The interest started with California, New York, and other states and regions with urban centres greatly affected by automotive emissions. Despite a recent survey s findings that expressed the view that there will be a sizable market in the next several years for EVs, the recent sales trend for EVs has not supported this without further qualification. It is now clear that a successful EV must match the ICE vehicle, not only in terms of performance (except some concession to range), but also at no additional cost [11]. This is not to say that there have not been some niche successes drivers and fleet owners of EVs are rediscovering some unexpected benefits of EVs with some sense of exploration collateral attributes such as lower maintenance, near-silent operation, and high torque starts are all benefits that have surprised many converts to the technology. One example in particular is instant cabin heat in winter, which is a current reality in pure EVs but still a number of years in the future for ICE-based vehicles. 

In terms of security, they are often irreplaceable. This is the case of the airbag in automobiles. Without polymers, how can we achieve this protective ball With a pig s bladder But then, how to integrate onto this skin the very sophisticated technology which allows the liberating explosion of the ball without injuring the driver There is no solution outside the plasticity of polymers. So, today, 50% of plastics applications in the automotive sector are no longer substitutable. 

The automotive industiy was, followed closly by the aerospace industry, the main driver for advanced engineering visualization (see Chap. 21) due to product complexity and variety, short product cycles and high investment volumes, where each new technology promises a quick return of investment. Beginning with the first draft, in almost every phase of product creation processes, the need for visualization exists, in particular for 3D product representation. Powerful DMU tools use JT as standard input (see Sect. 13.5). 

Lithium-ion batteries ( LIBs ) are the key cost drivers in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Significant improvements in the last few years with respect to performance, safety and lifecycle now make it possible to produce these technologies at a reasonable cost. As a result, the automotive industry has become a major potential customer for the LIB industry. At the same time, the door has been opened for new players to enter the market. 

Few data are available for the precious metal requirements, which are one of the most important cost drivers in fuel-cell technology. The progress achieved in the reduction of precious metal requirements for PEFCs in automotive appHcations is shown in Table 1.4. 

An important and closely related application technology is in composite fibre/plas-tics stmcmres, many of which incorporate nonwovens. These composite technologies are fundamentally well-suited to the needs of the important growth areas of lightweight constmction. Component weight reduction is a driver in the automotive, aerospace, boatbuilding, and mechanical engineering industries. 

Spread-spectrum technology and special line codes are used to fulfill automotive EMI requirements. The shift from advanced driver assistance to partially automated functions has forced the consideration of ASIL requirements for camera applications. Following this trend, all manufacturers have implemented feamres which allow the monitoring of link quality or at least the ability to do adequate diagnostics. Vendors have responded to the tendency to use SVS instead of RVC in automotive applications in the form of four-port deserializers and support for the synchronization of multiple cameras. 

He left the Daimler AG Research Center in 2012 to become a professor for Digital Systems Design at Ulm University of Applied Sciences. His lectures include digital technology with VHDL and FPGAs, basics of electrical engineering, and automotive systems. His primary research field is advanced camera-based driver assistance systems. 

For the period 2002-2007, world PBT consumption is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of between 5-6%, which is about in line with recent historical growth trends. Market growth will be bolstered by further product improvement, new applications development and new technologies, with the automotive sector in particular, continuing to be a key driver. 

The major drivers for development of automotive fuel cell technology are their efficiency, low or zero emissions, and fuel that could be produced from indigenous sources rather than imported. The main obstacles for fuel... 

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