Drivers of Change

Technological change has never been so fast, or so needed as it is in the present day. We see it in:

1. Vehicle Technologies - new technologies built in to vehicles themselves
2. Production Technologies - ever more efficient manufacturing and design processes and methods
3. Transport Usage Patterns - in particular, shifts away from traditional owner-driver models, car sharing models, and the increasing importance of public transport and 'Servitization' based transport systems.

Four principle drivers of current technological change in the automotive industry are:

1. Climate and Environment - CO2 from fossil fuels together with industrial waste all have a damaging effect on climate, environment and biodiversity. International reduction targets to mitigate this need to be met.
2. Sustainability - all new material and energy consumption must be made sustainable into the long term. Recycling must increase and dependency on so called 'conflict minerals' reduced.
3. Cost and Availability - costs and availability of scarce resources, costs and availability of skilled labour - both increasing motivations for finding new solutions to old problems.
4. Performance and Functionality - strength, weight and resilience of materials, new functionalities and cost - all must undergo continuous improvement. Materials science and related disciplines are central to achieving this.