Research projects - Road - Transport - Research & Innovation

EU Research Priorities

Contact & Help

Subscribe to RSS

Research projects - Road

Show items only for:

Improving safety in vehicles for all European citizens Published on: 28/05/2013: Road accidents killed almost 35 000 people in the European Union's 27 member states in 2009, the latest year for which statistics are available. While this number represents a fall of 38% since the start of the 21st century, there is still great scope to improve vehicle safety in Europe.

The solar car driving Egypt into the future Published on: 24/05/2013: It doesn't look much like the car of the future: the vehicle parked in a workshop in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt's Red Sea tourist haven, resembles nothing more than a golf cart or a milk float. But thanks to its pioneering solar technology, it could pave the way for the production of Egypt's first ever eco-friendly road vehicle.

Leading the charge into the future, one electric car at a time Published on: 15/05/2013: Overconsumption of fossil fuels, excessive carbon emissions and threats to air quality are all urgent problems that would be addressed if all-electric vehicles were fully operational and in widespread use. Research conducted by the European Union funded Fuerex project could give consumers in the near future the option of driving a car with almost zero emissions, without compromising on the range of the battery.

Car body parts that store electricity Published on: 27/03/2013: Powering a car with batteries is basically a question of numbers. The more you have, the further you can expect it to go. However, larger batteries do not necessarily bring more mileage. Their sheer weight and size can cancel out power gains and limit performance; a battery in a 1200 kg Tesla Roadster weighs in at a hefty 450 kg.

Turning the volume down in Europe's cities Published on: 13/03/2013: Millions of European city dwellers endure urban noise pollution every day. Apart from its nuisance value, noise in Europe has health risks with stress and cardiovascular issues being particular concerns, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The social costs of traffic noise in Europe have been estimated to 0.4% of total economic output, mainly from road transport.

Network of researchers helps making drivers more aware of road safety Published on: 13/03/2013: In Europe over 41,000 people die and 1.6 million are injured in traffic accidents every year. However, there are striking regional differences. In Southern Europe the number of traffic deaths is as much as two to three times higher for the same number of vehicles. The project SAFEAST, Towards Safer Road Traffic in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, was set up to examine the reasons behind these differences in October 2004. Universities from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Greece particip...

Assessing vehicle compatibility in road accidents (Fimcar) Published on: 12/03/2013: Traditionally, car crash safety testing has focused mainly on the protection of drivers and passengers in wall impact scenarios. The ‘Fimcar’ project has been looking more closely at real-world accidents and considering better ways to assess safety.

Protecting our most vulnerable road users Published on: 05/02/2013: Researchers say many thousands of children could benefit from a new system that helps ensure their safety as they go to school. SAFEWAY2SCHOOL brings together the latest communications technologies to, among other things, warn drivers of the presence of children near bus stops.

Important new model for car safety (ADSEAT) Published on: 29/01/2013: The EU-funded ADSEAT project has developed the world’s first virtual crash test dummy of an average female. The computational model is to be used in virtual testing of vehicle seat safety performance.

Are in-vehicle technologies improving road safety? Published on: 03/02/2012: As technology advances, vehicle manufacturers are incorporating more and more gadgets such as cell phones, satellite navigators and in-car video systems into vehicles. But what are the effects of these in-vehicle technologies (IVTs) on road safety? Ten European research partners are trying to determine how safe they really are.

Road train approaching Published on: 19/01/2012: The SARTRE project (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) has successfully completed the first test demonstrations of a multiple vehicle platoon. The test fleet included a lead truck followed by three cars driven entirely autonomously at speeds of up to 90 km/h – with no more than a 6 metres gap between the vehicles.

Nice - A new era for the internal combustion engine Published on: 11/10/2011: A new internal combustion engine addresses the drawbacks of petrol and diesel designs. As a result, it cuts both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The project, NICE, was supported by the European Commission.

Introducing greener cars on our roads Published on: 15/09/2011: Green alternatives to conventional cars are needed fast – for the sake of the environment, and the health of the European economy. But a lot more innovation is needed to make greener cars ready for mass production. To speed things up and encourage cost-sharing, the European Commission is promoting cooperation at every stage – often between commercial rivals.

Driverless Heathrow pods demonstrate the unimaginable Published on: 06/09/2011: London Heathrow airport has recently introduced driverless pods to connect Terminal 5 with its car parks, replacing a regular bus service. A hit with travellers and techies alike, these pods are being introduced on the road with support from the European Commission’s Framework Programme for research.

Innovation brings new road safety measures to market Published on: 29/06/2011: A chest protection device that was developed following European research into improving ‘passive’ safety for road users is now available on the market.

Research on the road to green cars Published on: 09/06/2011: The European Parliament had an opportunity to see progress made in the European Green Car Initiative (EGCI) on 31 May 2011. Many of the automotive firms involved in EGCI projects exhibited their latest vehicles, while a workshop reported to MEPs of the Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Committee.

Nano Powered Cars Published on: 31/05/2011: How can electric cars increase their driving range before they need to stop and recharge? Traditional batteries cannot keep up with the high storage demand but the complete redesign of lithium ion batteries open up new possibilities

'TIFFE' outlines innovative vehicle temperature management system Published on: 25/05/2011: The EU-funded 'TIFFE' project has developed a new vehicle with an innovative front-end design and advanced components for more efficient heat radiation and onboard cooling, and better fuel economy.

Going beyond ‘niche’: innovative public transport for the masses Published on: 11/05/2011: The EU-supported ‘Niches+’ project recently held its final conference, which included the prize ceremony for the Osmose Awards, honouring local and regional authorities that have introduced new measures for sustainable urban transport.

'TelliBox' delivers better system for intermodal freight transport Published on: 29/03/2011: The EU-funded TelliBox project has optimised available loading space in freight vehicles, promising more efficient transport of goods.

Tune Up Your Electric Car! Published on: 03/02/2011: A new invention by Italian researchers could provide a significant boost in the performance and efficiency of electric cars. “The ILHYPOS supercapacitor can improve the performance of your electric vehicle, particularly the power, efficiency and duration of the battery”, says Mario Conte project coordinator of the European Research Project ILHYPOS

Hydrogen: The Green Fuel Of The Future Published on: 31/01/2011: Engineers from 28 research institutions have combined their expertise to make significant improvements to the electric powered car. They worked on fuel cell technology and electric drive systems to build a car which is cost efficient, satisfies the customers and is ready for mass production. Working together within the European research project HySYS, their aim was to create a standard of the improved and newly invented components

European research looks into sustainable solutions for an innovative high quality bus system Published on: 18/01/2011: This winter has not helped the image of public transportation. Trains and busses were often running late, adding to the many other nuisances of public transport such as crowded carriages, uncomfortable travelling or the inefficient exchange of vehicles. At least, this is the perception of millions of commuters in Europe. But not everywhere

Prof. Hermann Knoflacher: “Our car-addicted society is not easy to handle so we have to make changes step by step to improve sustainable mobility” Published on: 14/01/2011: Prof. Hermann Knoflacher has been active in the sustainable mobility field for about 40 years. He is conducting research in sustainable transport at the Institute for Traffic Planning and Traffic Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria. He talked about sustainable mobility development and his scientific solution

City Closure Increases Mobility Published on: 20/12/2010: With the increase in car numbers on our roads the pollution and congestion in our cities is growing rapidly. This situation becomes problematic especially for city centres with historic heritage like Bologna by CORINNA LÜCKE (Dec. '10)

Monitoring dangerous vehicles whilst in motion Published on: 17/12/2010: A European research project has tested the use of 3D cameras alongside the highways and sensors embedded in the roadside to detect dangerous, overloaded trucks as they move. The system enables a reduction in accidents, protects the road infrastructure and reduces fuel consumption and pollution by ensuring conformity to weight controls

'Beauty' project developing better biofuel engine Published on: 15/12/2010: An EU-funded collaboration between universities and industry is overcoming limitations in current technologies to develop new bioethanol engines.

Automated Truck Inspection Published on: 13/12/2010: Total control on a Bavarian motorway: European researchers and German Police set up a test zone for extensive traffic monitoring. Their goal is to identify overloaded trucks which destroy roads and cause accidents and traffic jams

How are we reducing greenhouse gas emissions from urban mobility? Published on: 10/12/2010: Forty percent of all road transport CO2 emissions come from urban mobility, according to the European Commission. Many projects aim to reduce greenhouse emissions while simultaneously improving mobility

'CityMove' looks to future of urban freight Published on: 07/12/2010: With the majority of the population in Europe now living in urban areas and the bulk of industrial production being dispatched to these areas, the demand for freight transport in cities is at an all-time high.

Making progress on public transport accessibility Published on: 29/11/2010: EU-funded research projects, including 'Mediate' and 'Access2All' are finding new ways to get the disabled, elderly and other 'transport vulnerable' citizens into the public transport system. In doing so, they are making it easier for everyone to enjoy more efficient mobility.

New rail driver's cab points way to future Published on: 22/10/2010: The EU-funded 'EUDDplus' project has achieved new milestones on the way to the safer and more standardised rail transport driver's cab of the future.

EU-funded fuel cell vehicle performs like conventional car Published on: 29/09/2010: The HyTRAN vehicle is an electric prototype equipped with a complete fuel cell system. Essentially a modified Fiat Panda, it can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in just 13 seconds.

Werner Schönewolf: “The last mile is the most expensive in the logistic world. We want to overcome this last mile with a micro-carrier” Published on: 04/08/2010: Freight delivery services have their own challenges when operating in the inner cities. The logistic experts working on the European funded FIDEUS project have taken this problem as a central issue for a complete redesign of the urban freight logistics

First ever 'naturalistic' study to monitor motorbike drivers Published on: 19/07/2010: The EU-funded '2BESAFE' project will carry out a groundbreaking study of motorbike and scooter driver behaviour, known to be a major contributing factor in two-wheeler crashes.

Electric Parcel Service Published on: 06/07/2010: An electrically powered micro-carrier could soon revolutionize the way parcel services operate in inner cities. (Jun ’10)

Innovative monitoring for road transport safety Published on: 18/06/2010: The EU-funded 'ASSET-Road' project has opened a new test site on the A8 Salzburg-Munich motorway in Germany. The objective is to reduce the number of serious road accidents, especially those linked to heavy goods transport.

Making road transport more intelligent Published on: 18/06/2010: A key contributor to this year's Transport Research Arena (TRA) Conference, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Information Society and Media (DG INFSO) works to develop and deploy applications based on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the transport sector.

Will the fuel cell vehicle live up to all the hype? Published on: 09/06/2010: The fuel cell vehicle (FCV) is one new technology that might be a viable alternative to the predominant vehicle on the road. However, many challenges remain. (Jun. '10)

The Super Light Car Published on: 09/06/2010: Engineers and material scientists are putting the car on a diet. Their aim is to make the body lighter and thus save on fuel and C02 emissions. (Jun. '10)

Weighing up the results of EU-funded rail research Published on: 20/04/2010: The ERRAC ROADMAP project is working to promote a more systematic and focused approach to the use of rail transport sector resources. In a recent workshop in Brussels, participants discussed lessons learned from past research projects, with a view to enhancing real market uptake of results.

The Connected Traveller Published on: 24/03/2010: Traffic in London will increase by 50 percent in the next 15 years. This prediction means additional pressure on a road network that today is already at its limit. But now a new technology is on trial all over Europe which could help to overcome road congestions in the future. (Mar. '10)

SARTRE project presents exciting new road transport scheme Published on: 02/03/2010: The EU-funded 'SARTRE' project is developing and testing new technologies to enable vehicles to travel together safely in 'road trains' on unmodified public motorways.

Research projects look at transport and climate change Published on: 29/01/2010: Two new EU-funded projects have set out to examine the effects of changing weather patterns on transport in Europe. 'EWENT' and 'WEATHER' will carry out in-depth analyses, assess the hazards and propose response strategies.

International Co-operation project aims to improve transport services in cities hosting major sporting events Published on: 22/01/2010: Partners in the EU-funded 'STADIUM' project will look for ways to improve transport services for large events in big cities, including the South Africa World Cup, the India Commonwealth Games and the London Olympics.

'LITEBUS' – the bus that bounced Published on: 16/11/2009: LITEBUS, an EU-funded project set to reduce the weight and production costs of urban public transport, has developed a sandwich composite material to replace both steel and aluminium frames for buses. The composite renders the vehicles safer and more eco-friendly.

‘iTREN 2030’ Published on: 28/10/2009: More than 60 experts from the European Commission, national governments, industry and the researcher community met in Brussels on 21 October for the final presentation of the iTREN-2030 project, which has developed an integrated scenario for energy and transport in Europe.

Intelligent transport projects in focus Published on: 28/10/2009: With the focus on intelligent transport systems for use in daily life, EU research projects looking to expand practical applications were on show at the 16th ITS Congress in Stockholm.

Road infrastructure projects bridge gap between newer and older EU Member States Published on: 07/09/2009: The results of the trailblazing 'ARCHES' and 'SPENS' projects have been presented in Ljubljana, at a conference hosted by ZAG, Slovenia’s National Building and Civil Engineering Institute.

'HeavyRoute' project presents final results Published on: 03/08/2009: A key EU-funded research project aimed at improving road safety and capacity while reducing impacts on the environment and maintenance costs held its final meeting in Brussels in June 2009.

Putting the ‘super’ in Europe's capacity for green power Published on: 03/08/2009: With the rise in demand for green transportation, European researchers in the 'ILHYPOS' project have developed a new supercapacitor that could help power the next generation of electric cars.

Reducing car weight and cutting down greenhouse gas emissions Published on: 08/06/2009: A new lighter weight car frame unveiled by EU-funded ‘SuperLight-Car’ project could provide the structure on which to rebuild Europe’s ailing auto industry – and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

'TOPMACS' – more progress on 'greener' air-conditioning Published on: 26/08/2008: Once considered a luxury option, air conditioning is becoming more and more common in new cars as a standard feature, but both public authorities and consumers are demanding greater attention to the environmental impact of air conditioning systems, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on fuel consumption.

'B-COOL' project developing eco-friendly car air conditioning Published on: 19/08/2008: The EU-funded B-COOL project, set to end in 2008, has been developing a new, high-efficiency, low-cost air-conditioning system for small, A and B segment cars, using CO2 as a refrigerant.

Hydrogen Test Drive Published on: 10/06/2008: Hydrogen as an energy carrier in fuel cells could provide in the next future a solution to worldwide rise of fuel prices. (Jun. '08)

‘iTREN 2030’ joining the dots Published on: 14/01/2008: More than 45 experts from the European Commission, national governments, industry and the researcher community met in Brussels on 27 November 2007 for the iTREN-2030 project workshop. Among the questions they asked was how to predict the combined effects of EU-wide policies on energy, transport, economy and the environment.

‘FELICITAS’ for heavy-duty transport powertrains Published on: 08/11/2007: The FELICITAS Integrated Project is focusing on the development of fuel cell (FC) drive trains capable of meeting the exacting demands of heavy-duty transport for road, rail and marine applications.

CITYMOBIL: advanced road transport for the urban environment Published on: 08/11/2007: Partners in the EU-funded CITYMOBIL project presented their work at the Podcar City International PRT conference on 1-2 October 2007 in Uppsala, Sweden.

‘POMEROL’ makes steady progress on new fuel cell technologies Published on: 18/07/2007: The EU-funded POMEROL project on clean battery technologies held its mid-term meeting in Bordeaux, France on 1 June 2007. The event featured several milestone decisions, including the choice of chemical components for new lithium batteries for fuel cell hybrids.

EU-funded ‘HyICE’ project a major step forward for hydrogen Published on: 30/03/2007: On 27 February 2007, project partners, invited guests and members of the press heard coordinators and EU officials at BMW Group’s Research and Technology facility in Munich describe the HyICE project as a resounding success and a model of the Commission’s Integrated Project (IP) formula.

Efficient high-performing hydrogen engines are a step closer, thanks to EU research funding Published on: 06/03/2007: Researchers from Germany, Sweden, France and Austria, working together within an EU-funded research project and with US partners, have developed a new type of hydrogen technology that will lead to new and more efficient engines. The Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (HyICE) project has tested ways to make hydrogen-fuelled engines that are as efficient as current diesel engines, yet non-polluting, and with little or no trade-off in terms of engine size and power.

‘EURO-TRANS’ hits the ground running Published on: 01/02/2007: The EU-funded EURO-TRANS initiative is promoting and supporting the participation of small and medium size enterprises in European surface transport research projects. Partners met at a launch meeting in Brussels on 16 January 2007 to discuss actions and objectives.

Automotive Chassis Development for 5-day Cars Published on: 30/01/2007: The prime objective of AC-DC is to develop a concept, which radically enhances automotive manufacturing in order to achieve the high level of responsiveness required for a 5-day car according to customer specifications, and to validate/demonstrate the novel approach using the characteristic component lightweight chassis as a master.

Advanced Protection Systems Published on: 30/01/2007: The general objective of APROSYS is the development and introduction of critical technologies that will improve passive safety for all European road users in all relevant accident types and severities.

Assessment and Rehabilitation of Central European Highway Structures Published on: 30/01/2007: The overall goal of the proposed project is to develop ways of raising the standard of highway structures in the new Member States and Central and Eastern European Countries to the level necessary for their full economic integration into the EU and for the future development of the Union.

Development of Best Practices and Identification of Breakthrough Technologies in Automotive Engineering Simulation Published on: 30/01/2007: The project will bring together major players from the automotive industry across Europe. They will discuss, debate and document various aspects related to the effective use of engineering simulation techniques such as finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics and multi body simulation.

Central European Research in Road Infrastructure Published on: 30/01/2007: CERTAIN is a CA that aims to facilitate integration of the new Member States and other Central European countries into the established research and development community of the EU. The project will provide the clustering environment for EC research projects on road infrastructure.

Advanced technologies for highly efficient Clean Engines working with alternative fuels and lubes Published on: 30/01/2007: CLEANENGINE is focused on developing modern clean internal combustion engines based on liquid biofuels coming from biomass (biodiesel and bioethanol) and environmentally friendly and ash-free lubes and/or lubrication concepts. The objective is to increase efficiency and minimise harmful emissions.

Ecological and Economical Development of Innovative Strategy and Process for Clean Maintenance, Dismantling and Further Recycling of Vehicle Parts Published on: 30/01/2007: This project is about the eco-conception of automobiles by using adhesive joining technologies, which include active systems providing for further easy dismantling of bonded parts, at the end of a vehicle’s life or at a maintenance stage, and finding the technologies for activating these systems.

Economical and Sustainable Pavement Infrastructure for Surface Transport Published on: 30/01/2007: Infrastructure for surface transport will be developed using slip forming techniques based on existing asphalt laying equipment and steel fibre reinforced concrete. The new construction concept will reduce construction costs, time and energy consumption, minimise maintenance and make use of waste materials.

Technology Platform for European Road Transport Research Published on: 30/01/2007: ERTRAC II is the continuation of the Coordination Action ERTRAC (see synopses ERTRAC/506525). ERTRAC II aims at supporting the European tehnology platform, ERTRAC (European Road Transport Research Advisory Council). ERTRAC set up the basic structure for the technology platform and created the Vision and strategic research agenda (SRA), and ERTRAC II is focussing on updating the SRA and on its implementation.

Highly Integrated Combustion Electric Propulsion System Published on: 30/01/2007: HI-CEPS aims to develop highly integrated powertrains and related thermal-electric auxiliaries for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to be verified at bench and vehicle validation levels. The developed devices have to satisfy both the environmental and final-user requirements for the 2010-12 mass market.

High Density Power Electronics for FC- and ICE-Hybrid Electric Vehicle Powertrains Published on: 30/01/2007: In order to increase the fuel economy of vehicles, efficient electric drivetrains are needed for conventional or fuel cell-based hybrid cars. Affordable high-density power electronics are a precondition. HOPE has two approaches: a low-cost solution and a more advanced high-temperature solution without liquid cooling.

Optimisation of Hydrogen-powered Internal Combustion Engines Published on: 30/01/2007: The overall goal of HyHEELS is to provide an UltraCap energy storage system for the use in hybrid- and fuel-cell vehicles, which satisfies all the properties necessary to make an integrative component.

Fuel-Cell Hybrid Vehicle System Component Development Published on: 30/01/2007: The objective of the project is the research on low-cost components for fuel-cell (FC) systems and electric drive systems, which can be used in future hybridised FC vehicles (a medium-term objective) and ICE vehicles. The components will be integrated and validated in two vehicles.

Ionic Liquid-based Hybrid Power Supercapacitors Published on: 30/01/2007: The ILHYPOS project aims at developing green, safe, powerful and high-energy hybrid supercapacitors for application as peak power smoothing and energy recuperation devices in fuel-cell (PEM) powered electric vehicles and in small energy production plants (such as CHPs).

Infrared Microsystem for Polluting Emission Control on Cars 2 Published on: 30/01/2007: An in-vehicle sensor, detecting hydrocarbons (HCs), carbon monoxide (CO) and particles in the exhaust is to be developed using the spectroscopic narrow-band absorption technology in infrared. The fast response will make it possible to control emissions during transient operating conditions.

Information Network on QUiet European road Surface Technology Published on: 30/01/2007: The project aims at coordinating the dissemination of research on the use of low-noise road surfaces in European countries that have less access and experience in that field. A complementary objective is to promote European harmonisation in the field of road-surface noise classification.

Intelligent Roads Published on: 30/01/2007: The INTRO project aims to address the problems of road safety and capacity by combining sensing technologies and local databases with real-time networking technologies. This will improve both road safety and capacity by providing rapid feedback on emerging problems to maintenance authorities and road users.

Innovative Particle Trap System for Future Diesel Combustion Concepts Published on: 30/01/2007: Future diesel car engines will have ‘conventional’ combustion at high and full loads, and partial homogeneous combustion at low loads with different emissions. This makes necessary to develop new cleaning devices. To ensure soot regeneration at the resulting low NO/NO2 and exhaust temperature levels, the research will develop a compact porous media design for the trap, with tuneable particle collection and multifunction catalytic nanostructured materials together with the needed control strategi...

Integrated communicating solid-state light engine for use in automotive forward lighting and information exchange between vehicles and infrastructure Published on: 30/01/2007: This proposal aims to develop an innovative manufacturing technology to produce a new generation of headlamps for vehicles, which will be the basis for a future car-to-car or car-to-infrastructure communication system. To achieve this, a new production process needs to be developed, combining LED chips into a packaging which already forms the beam, with minimised losses. This proposal aims at simplifying the production process of headlamps by:

Modular Lightweight Sandwich Bus Concept Published on: 30/01/2007: Multimaterial technology (sandwich and/or hybrid materials) is becoming increasingly important in new vehicle design. Public service vehicles (buses and coaches) are regarded as primary targets for application of sandwich construction and multimaterials, which play a major role in the transportation industry of both industrialised and developing countries. The proposed project will be focused on the development of a novel technology to manufacture bus/coach bodies using multimaterial sandwich pa...

New Integrated Combustion System for Future Passenger Car Engines Published on: 30/01/2007: The NICE Integrated Project was proposed by the European automotive industry, and given the highest responsibility level. The main objective of NICE is to develop a new integrated combustion system that, independent of the type of fuel, achieves the highest fuel conversion efficiency.

New Road Construction Concept Published on: 30/01/2007: What will the European road system look like in 2040? How can innovation deliver solutions to the challenges of the future? These are the two questions which NR2C aims to answer. NR2C provides a long-term vision of road infrastructure, based on new concepts, and develops specific innovations to support this vision in three areas: urban, interurban and bridges.

Powered Two-wheeler Integrated Safety Published on: 30/01/2007: The aim of this project is to develop and use new technologies to provide integrated safety systems for a range of powered two-wheelers, which will greatly improve primary safety. PISa will contribute to the general EU target of 50% reduction in road accident fatalities.

Realizing Enhanced Safety and Efficiency in European Road Transport Published on: 30/01/2007: POMEROL intends to develop high-powered, low-cost and intrinsically safe lithium-ion batteries by using a breakthrough in materials. The materials and batteries will be used for fuel-cell hybrid and conventional hybrid drivetrain automotive applications.

Safety In Motion Published on: 30/01/2007: SIM project deals with the development of an innovative concept vehicle with new safety devices that will result in a decrease in the number of powered two-wheelers (PTW) accidents and related consequences for riders. An integrated (matrix) approach to solve safety issues for PTWs will be implemented.

Sustainable Production Technologies of Emission-reduced Lightweight Car Concepts Published on: 30/01/2007: SLC pools the expertise and resources of 38 organisations to develop new lightweight vehicle concepts up to 50% lighter than present high-volume cars. SLC will address present limitations on advanced material processing, multi-material joining technologies and simulation tools (crash, fatigue, cost and sustainability).

Sustainable Pavements for EU New Member States Published on: 30/01/2007: The aim of the project is to develop appropriate tools and procedures for the rapid rehabilitation of road pavements using materials that would:

Thermally Operated Mobile Air Conditioning Systems Published on: 30/01/2007: The goal of the project is to develop mobile air conditioning systems (MACS) with a reduced impact on the environment. The systems will be considered for two vehicle applications: passenger cars and trucks.

Integrated System for driver TRaining and Assessment using Interactive education tools and New training curricula for ALL modes of road transport Published on: 30/01/2007: TRAIN-ALL aims to develop a computer-based training system for the training and assessment of different land-based driver cohorts (motorcycle riders, novices, emergency drivers and truck drivers) that integrates multimedia software, driving simulator, virtual driving simulator and onboard vehicle sensors into a single modular platform.

Network of Excellence on Advanced Passive Safety Published on: 30/01/2007: Following the mobilisation of critical R&D mass on vehicle passive safety in EU Thematic Network projects like PSN & EVPSN2, APSN is aiming at a durable integrated European vehicle passive safety research and implementation programme, and the creation of a virtual institute (VI).

Low-cost and High-efficiency CO2 Mobile Air Conditioning System for Lower Segment Cars Published on: 30/01/2007: The project aims at developing a new high-efficiency, low-cost air-conditioning system using CO2 as a refrigerant for small cars (A and B segments). Methods to assess performance, annual fuel consumption and environmental impact will be identified, constituting a preliminary step for new EU standards.

Towards Advanced Road Transport for the Urban Environment Published on: 30/01/2007: The objective of the CITYMOBIL project is to achieve a more effective organisation of urban transport. At three sites, Heathrow, Castellón and Rome, large-scale demonstrators will be set up to supply proof of concept of innovative automated transport systems integrated in the urban environment.

Energy COnversion in Engines Published on: 30/01/2007: ECO-ENGINES aims to set up a virtual research centre (VRC) on advanced engine combustion modes for road transport, giving special emphasis to the use of alternative and renewable fuels, and establishing it as a world reference in the domain.

European road transport research advisory council european road transport 2020 a vision and strategic research agenda Published on: 30/01/2007: ERTRAC is the European Technology Platform on road transport research. This action is aiming at a better alignment of European, national and private research activities for more economic efficiency, quality of results and reduced time to applying innovation. It is ERTRAC’s mission to explore these opportunities and make specific recommendations for implementation. ERTRAC’s inclusion of all major road transport actors makes it unique and allows a truly holistic and integrated view of road transpo...

Green Heavy Duty Engine Published on: 30/01/2007: In the GREEN project, European HD engine manufacturers join forces with suppliers, academia and leading engineering institutes. The common goal is to promote future advanced engine technologies to achieve lower emissions, lower fuel consumption and improved sustainability for future fuels.

Intelligent Route Guidance for Heavy Vehicles Published on: 30/01/2007: The objective of HeavyRoute is to develop an advanced route guidance system for deriving the safest and most cost-effective routes for road freight transport throughout Europe. The system will take into account road user needs, vehicle operating and environmental costs, but also maintenance costs due to the deterioration of roads and bridges.

High-Performance (Cost Competitive, Long Life and Low Maintenance) Composite Bridges for Rapid Infrastructure Renewal Published on: 30/01/2007: The overall objective of the project is the development of a high-performance and cost-effective construction concept for bridges based on the application of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) for rapid infrastructure renewal in the new Member States (NMS) and beyond.

Optimisation of a Hydrogen Powered Internal Combustion Engine Published on: 30/01/2007: The internal combustion engine is ideally suited for hydrogen application since it offers high-power density at relatively low cost. HyICE is an initiative for automotive hydrogen engine development, which will provide economically feasible and environmentally friendly solutions for the increasing mobility demand.