Connectivity - Key to Future Emission and Consumption Reductions? In Vehicle and Powertrain

The true automotive revolution is taking place in connecting the vehicle with its environment. What does networking make possible? What is meaningful? How do we control the corresponding risks? The international trend conference "Engine & Environment", organized by AVL for the 30th time in Graz, focused on "Connectivity – Key to Future Emission and Consumption Reductions? In Vehicle and Powertrain." On June 7 and 8, 2018, top-level experts from the automotive industry, among them Shizuo Abe (TOYOTA Motor Corporation), Rolf Bulander (Robert Bosch GmbH), Lutz Eckstein (RWTH Aachen), Claus Ehlers (Daimler AG), Larry T. Nitz (General Motors), Günter Schiele (Audi AG) and many more, examined this current issue from a variety of angles.

Autonomous driving is at the forefront of a broad range of technologies designed to make vehicle operation safer and more environmentally compatible. In addition, advanced driver assistance features are increasingly becoming a sales-relevant differentiation factor. While connectivity allows smart energy and emission management, which includes online monitoring of all the relevant system parameters, it does place much greater demands on data security and requires a paradigm change in automotive development and validation processes. "Vehicle online" calls for a dramatically expanded development and validation scope, practically tests across all imaginable operating conditions.

30 conferences dedicated to environmentally friendly mobility

In 1988, AVL hosted the "Engine & Environment" conference for the very first time, offering an independent, neutral and international platform to promote the interdisciplinary discussion of key aspects in powertrain and vehicle technology in a wider social context. Ever since then, the conferences have been attended by more than 10,000 visitors, among them high-ranking decision-makers and experts from the automotive industry, science, politics and market research. Over the years, the AVL conference has regularly provided opportunities to showcase and explore themes and technologies, that had a significant impact on powertrain development in the ten to 15 years that followed.