02.03.2006
In the last 30 years the automotive industry has made enormous progress in reducing car emissions whilst at the same time improving performance, fuel economy and reliability. But at a lecture hosted at the university, Neville Jackson, Technology Director at Ricardo Consulting Engineers, will argue that research shows consumers place little real value on the environmental benefits of cars, with image, and lifestyle requirements dominating their purchasing decisions. This lecture will take place on 15 March in Mithras House at 6:30pm.
Jackson will state that the unsustainable worldwide demand for oil and its detrimental affect on the environment means that environmentally friendly cars that are both affordable and attractive to the consumer will be the key focus for research for the next 25 years.
This lecture will contrast the achievements in research and development by the automotive industry since the 1970s, which has led to dramatic improvements in air quality, with future research demands. Progress made by the industry in improving air quality is rarely recognised, in contrast to the widely held perception, often re-enforced by media reports that it is actually getting worse.
The new challenge for the automotive industry will be to continue the reduction in emissions from vehicles (with ever diminishing improvements in air quality) and to substantially reduce fuel consumption and therefore carbon emissions.
The potential for the internal combustion engine and its systems to provide even greater efficiency and lower emissions will be compared with alternative power-plants such as fuels cells and battery electric drives.
"There is a big challenge for the automotive industry to provide environmentally friendly vehicles that offer the continuous improvements in performance and capability consumers now take for granted" said Neville Jackson.
Neville Jackson is has worked at Ricardo UK Ltd, for the past 23 years in various positions. He is also Vice President of the European Automotive Research Partners Association based in Brussels, a board member of the UK Low Carbon Vehicles Partnership and a director of the UK Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon Vehicles.
Wednesday 15 March 2006 at 6.30pm Mithras House Lecture Theatre, University of Brighton, Moulsecoomb, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4AT. Refreshments will be served after the lecture. All are welcome.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
