Users are demanding greater vehicle adaptability (configurability, upgradeability and modularity) and vehicle performance (to meet different consumer needs and driving styles), and reduced vehicle noise. There is a need for less polluting vehicles with today’s level of performance or better, without undue cost inflation. Urban pollution will also act as a driver for the introduction of quieter and less polluting vehicles of all types, car and commercial. Fashion is also dictating the purchase of some private vehicle types, e.g. the current popularity of SUV’s. Safety of vehicles is a concern, with control technologies needed for engines and powertrains aimed at accident avoidance and mitigating their effects.

Competitive pressures exist to reduce development and manufacturing cycle times and costs, and to improve responsiveness, agility, flexibility, durability, efficiency and quality, in order to achieve greater profitability and return on capital. For users, capital and operational costs are important for all vehicle types, private and commercial, leading to improvement needs in engine and transmission efficiencies and with reduced maintenance requirements.

Global warming is now widely accepted as a fact and the safe assumption is that the results will be unpleasant and undesirable. Substantial reduction of the greenhouse gas CO2 is accepted to be a necessity to mitigate the effect. This is a major driver to the introduction of technologies to reduce CO2 emissions, through improvement in efficiency, control strategies and the introduction of alternative combustion regimes (or combination modes). Pollutants from oil based combustion processes (such as particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, lead, benzene and ozone) have detrimental health effects, particularly when concentrated in urban environments. Further development of technologies to reduce the origin of these pollutants in the combustion process, as well as post-combustion treatments, is required. Re-use and recycle targets for vehicles at end-of life sets constraints on the materials used in their construction, and new solutions are required to minimise environmental impact.

Developments of innovative solutions are required in the areas of engine and powertrain, e.g. with new fuel types, including hybrid and fuel tolerant IC engines, new engine materials and lubricants, together with electronics, sensors and software (for both engine management and design & manufacture).

UK Government, European and International policies, regulations and legislation concerning transport, energy, CO2 and other emissions, health and safety and waste management all affect the development needs. The UK has declared it will take a lead in Europe for the reduction of CO2 with attendant wealth creation in the industrial and technology bases.

The need to develop fuel and energy infrastructure in parallel to developments in new engine and powertrain solutions.