1. Executive summary

This document expresses major R&D priorities for the greening of vehicles and road
transport as seen by the European automotive manufacturers and suppliers. The
purpose of this document is for the automotive industry itself to harmonise the R&D
directions and priorities, to communicate these to relevant authorities and bodies at
national and EU level and to other key partners. In particular this document is intended
as an input to the European Green Car Initiative (EGCI). It should be understood that its
scope is therefore adapted and narrowed to the domain of the EGCI, and it does not
claim to cover the broad spectrum of automotive and transport R&D.
The R&D domain in this document is structured into four major areas described below.
 

Mobility and Transport
The challenge is the high and still increasing demand for mobility and transport of people
and goods, in urban and rural regions. R&D should address these issues by exploring:

• Information and Communication Technologies and Intelligent Transport Systems
for traffic and transport management, for the single vehicle and its route planning,

• Increased use of all modes of transports, their interfaces, and efficiencies,

• Novel concepts for individual and collective mobility and transport.

Energy and Environment
The principal task is to transfer from fossil energy dependency, and its environmental
impact, to primary energy sources that are renewable, secure, sufficient, and
environmentally compatible. R&D should explore:

• Alternative primary energies, their related fuels and drivetrains,

• The electrification of the vehicles and the road transport system as a whole,

• Lightweight structures and new vehicle concepts for high-energy efficiency.

Safety
The introduction of new types of vehicles based on low weight materials and designs,
alternative fuelled and electric drivetrains, etc. requires also adapting the safety features
of these vehicles to ensure, at least, zero degradation of the safety of vehicles. R&D
should focus on:

• Exploring how passive/active/ICT systems should be adapted and extended to the
future vehicle concepts,

• Studying the safety characteristics offered by new vehicle types, e.g. electric
drivetrain,

• Development of cooperative systems for efficiency and safety, based on
communication between vehicles and infrastructure.
 

Affordability and Competitiveness
Green vehicles and green road transport are achievable only if there are competitive
manufacturers and service providers that offer them at an affordable price level to the
user. Challenges for the automotive industry, that R&D should address, are

• Availability and use of raw and rare materials,

• Efficiency and energy use in the production and manufacturing processes,

• Handling of low weight, mixed materials and alternative drivetrain,

• Flexible production and manufacturing for small series and tailored vehicles,

• Use of virtual tools and ICT from order to delivery, service and maintenances.

read more