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Moving away from the ‘exhaust pipe perspective’: a fundamental shift in our approach to sustainable mobility is urgently needed.
Current legislation which focuses on the CO2 emissions of a vehicle, without taking into account the generation of energy and raw materials, is wrong, does not help the environment and must be changed as quickly as possible. Speaking in Vienna at the press conference ahead of this year’s prestigious gathering of industry experts, Prof Bernhard Geringer, President of the Austrian Association for Automotive Engineering (ÖVK) and organiser of the International Vienna Motor Symposium (https://wiener-motorensymposium.at/), told journalists that, ‘meaningful climate protection will only be achieved with a systematic ‘cradle-to-grave’ approach. We have to move away from the ‘exhaust pipe perspective’!”
Appeal for legislative change
In his remarks, ahead of the Symposium, which will be held at Vienna’s Hofburg Palace from14th-16th May, Professor Geringer appealed to decision makers in politics and legislation to change their approach to sustainable mobility across all sectors, moving from a sole focus on the energy converter - i.e. the motor – towards the energy sources as well. ‘There is no such thing as a ‘green’ engine, but there is green energy. It is imperative to push ahead with a focus on green energy sources if we are to enable truly carbon-neutral mobility worldwide.’
Noble history
The Vienna Motor Symposium has been an annual highlight of open scientific discourse in the world of new drive system developers, suppliers and vehicle manufacturers since 1979. Legendary figures such as Ferdinand Piëch (VW) and Burkhard Göschel (BMW) have taken the stage as well as current company bosses from Ola Källenius (Mercedes-Benz Group) to Oliver Blume (Porsche/VW), Luca de Meo (Renault), Shailesh Chandra (Tata Motors), Stefan Hartung (Robert Bosch GmbH) and Arnd Franz (Mahle).
Paving the way for a new industry
There is no one single path towards sustainable mobility but many routes which need to be pursued simultaneously. At this year’s summit, manufacturers of new drive concepts from Asia and investors from the Arab world are increasingly coming into focus. A joint venture between the Chinese manufacturer Geely with the European Renault Group and Saudi Aramco, for example, which was founded only a year ago, promises to revolutionise one of the traditional pillars of automotive engineering. The venture, called Horse Powertrain, supplies self-developed powertrains consisting of combustion engines and compact hybrid drive systems in modular design for many different vehicle manufacturers.
Ingo Scholten, Chief Technology Officer at Horse Powertrain, described the event as ‘pioneering work in a new industrial sector’. A key figure in shaping the up-and-coming powertrain technology sector, he presented a forward-looking vision: ‘The powertrain is no longer just a vehicle component – it has evolved into a complete technology sector that drives the future of mobility. We're moving beyond the traditional supplier role to become architects of an entirely new industry and empowering car brands to confidently navigate the transformation of mobility through our deep technical expertise and visionary approach.’
Commercial vehicles: The race is not yet decided
Drives for commercial vehicles, from electric solutions for local distribution transport and urban buses through to large combustion engines for long-distance transport, some of which are powered by hydrogen, will be prominent agenda items at this year’s international meeting of experts. Dr Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research & Development at MAN Truck & Bus, said: ‘In order to decarbonise road freight transport, our focus is on battery-electric vehicles. These currently have clear advantages over other drive concepts in terms of energy efficiency and operating and energy costs. We therefore expect electric trucks to be best suited to the vast majority of transport applications. In addition, hydrogen combustion or fuel cell technology can be an important emissionfree supplement to electric trucks, especially for very long journeys, special applications or in regions without sufficient charging infrastructure.’
Short information on the Austrian Society of Automotive Engineers:
The Austrian Society of Automotive Engineers (ÖVK) was founded in 1985 and has 750 ordinary members. Its objective is to promote the useful application of automotive engineering. The ÖVK organises scientific events in an effort to enhance and promote the level of knowledge among mechanical engineering experts and other relevant target groups. The International Vienna Motor Symposium was initiated by Professor Hans Peter Lenz. It took place for the first time in 1979 and has been organised by ÖVK since 1985. Professor Dr. Bernhard Geringer has been the Chairman of the ÖVK since 2017.
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For further information, visit: https://wiener-motorensymposium.at/ ; https://oevk.at/ and www.melzer-pr.com/motorensymposium
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