Advanced technologies to increase fuel economy and reduction of exhaust emission in motor vehicles

In recent years, attention has focused on environmental problems on a global scale, but these problems cannot be solved by single measures taken independently by each nation. Since the greenhouse effect brought about by the increase in carbon dioxide results directly from fuel consumption, the motor vehicles contribution to the problem cannot be ignored. The current concerns over greenhouse gases and global warming has renewed interest in automotive vehicles fuel economy. New technologies can be taken to reduce fuel consumption and low emissions of pollutants in motor vehicles. The objective of this paper is to present, in a synthetic way, the medium and long term market trends and the likely technical developments of the main automotive components, worldwide and in Brazil, considering the efficient use of energy and the impacts of motor vehicle pollution. The motor vehicles considered here are cars, buses, lorries and light commercial vehicles. The automotive components assessed in the paper are engines, transmission systems, brakes, new automotive materials, vehicles electronics and aerodynamics.