Title: Future vehicles: an introduction

Authors: Damon Honnery, Patrick Moriarty

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, PO Box 31, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Monash University, Caulfield Campus PO Box 197, Caulfield East, Victoria 3145, Australia

Abstract: Many researchers doubt that the familiar car can continue on the course developed over the past half-century or more. Environmental and resource problems from the manufacture, operation, and disposal of cars will require major changes in vehicle design and manufacturing methods, and in the materials and fuels used. Growing world car ownership is increasing both road congestion and traffic fatalities, and both factors could also influence future car design. At the same time, advances in Information Technology appear to offer new approaches to vehicle design, congestion, and safety. This paper briefly examines the various factors that will shape future vehicle design, fuels, infrastructure, and industry. We find that forecasting what will happen in any of these areas is becoming an increasingly difficult task, although some trends have appeared which provide some degree of insight.

Keywords: automated highway systems; future fuels; future manufacturing methods; future materials; future propulsion systems; future vehicle design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2004.004048

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2004 Vol.35 No.1/2, pp.1 - 8

Published online: 10 May 2004 *

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