Reinventing The Automobile What It Takes To Make A Clean Machine

Our continuing love affair with sleek, buffed high- performance cars and our dependence on motorized transport are presenting society with a huge dilemma. The earth's ecological systems are rapidly degrading and motor transport has played a part in this. The wheeze of gas-guzzling vehicles and the choke of urban smog are powerful reminders that if we are to continue to enjoy the convenience, comfort and advantages of personal mobility, clean energy vehicles are a "must."

Transport, and the mobility it affords, drives development, opening doors to education, employment, health- care and many other life-enhancing activities. That said, transport is currently responsible for 23 percent of global, energy-related greenhouse gas emissions of which 74 percent is attributable to road transport. Although only 13 percent of the world's population own vehicles, the global fleet already numbers an estimated 900 million and is set to triple by 2050 with the strongest growth in developing countries. With the rise in vehicle ownership, meager progress has been made in reducing overall vehicle emissions in spite of gains in improving fuel efficiency and lowering tailpipe emissions.

These factors, in addition to dwindling energy reserves, highly volatile energy markets, rising environmental consciousness and growing demand for eco-friendly cars are fuelling the "green" imperative within the auto industry, causing it to shift into a new gear. The race is on to develop the ultimate eco-friendly vehicle that is affordable and cost-effective to run. The relentless stream of new models launched by automakers across the globe, from Tata Motor's Nano - billed as the world's cheapest car - to BYD Auto's (China) plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sedan unveiled in late 2008, said to be the world's first mass-produced PHEV, attests to the dynamism with which the industry is taking up this challenge.

The search for alternative fuel-efficient, low-emitting and energy-diverse "powertrain" systems has already given rise to hybrids and is fostering innovations in battery production, electronics and materials engineering, paving the way for the next generation of green vehicles.

Innovate or die

The business of making vehicles is capital intensive, requiring massive up-front investment to develop products that have a limited lifespan. It is an industry characterized by rapid technological advances driven by ever-evolving consumer tastes and an increasingly stringent regulatory environment. Innovation is a constant within this industry, shaping every aspect of the business from the know-how required to craft and...

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