Future Road Vehicle Research - A roadmap for the future

The main physical output of FURORE is the Automotive R&D Technology Roadmap. This roadmap was created by the FURORE workpackage and task leaders with contributions from the FURORE consortium, the Working Group Powertrain of EUCAR, CONCAWE and other additional R&D organisations.

It consolidates the specialist knowledge and the opinions of the participating organisations via several dedicated workshops, individual discussions with specialists in the fields of automotive research, voting surveys among FURORE-experts and a comprehensive literature analysis.

The topics discussed were:

• Energy & fuels (including conventional, advanced and alternative fuels),
• Powertrain technologies (including today's state-of-art technologies as well as advanced and alternative systems and aftertreatment technologies), 
• Complete vehicle aspects (including vehicle structure, safety and noise).

Every task was discussed according to: 

• its current technology status,
• the targets for the year 2020 and beyond,
• the potential technologies which can fulfil future objectives, 
• the hurdles and barriers that might hinder the introduction of the potential technologies and,
• the research demand needed to overcome major technological hurdles to successfully achieve the 2020-targets.

In addition a study about the technical potentials for liquid biofuels and bio-Hydrogen was made. The roadmap was also published as a 24-page brochure summarising the highlights and including a CD with the entire FURORE Roadmap report.

Policy implications

Major Statements from FURORE: 

• In the year 2020 and beyond we will have an increased plurality of different propulsion technologies, still with a main focus on internal combustion engines. 
• A higher variety of fuels, conventional, advanced as well as alternative fuels, will be on the market, with designed fuels for new combustion processes. 
• Most of all it will be essential to save energy wherever possible independent from future scenarios on propulsion systems or fuels. 
• Adequate research investment in the evolution of powertrain technology based on IC engines and conventional-based fuels guarantees global competitiveness of European Automotive industry together with reduced energy dependency and improved environment. 
• Research in completely new technologies is an additional must to promote sustainable advances in environment and energy security. 
• For fuel cell and hydrogen based powertrain systems only improvements in terms of production and distribution will make them a competitive alternative. 
• The main challenge for electric vehicles is the development of cost effective advanced batteries / energy storage systems. 
• Vehicle weight is crucial for both fuel consumption and safety issues. Intensive research for new materials and production processes including recycling technologies is needed. 
• Active and passive safety show great research potential and require an integrated approach to deliver the best results.
• The same applies for noise: Future vehicle technologies focus on road/tyre interaction, the engine, the exhaust and intake system and the vehicle driving condition. 
• Advanced simulation techniques are necessary to establish basic detailed knowledge in order to simulate physical processes more precisely and to increase the accuracy of predicted results.
• A system approach which integrates the concerned stakeholders (infrastructure, vehicle manufacturers, research providers etc.) and the concerned scientific areas (materials, electronics, telematics etc.) will lead to remarkable technological progress. 
• The integration of specific and generic technologies as well as development tools & platforms will lead to better, faster and cheaper research results, finally crucially strengthening the sustainable development of the European road transport sector.

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