How Technological Advancements And Environmental Imperatives Are Changing The Auto Industry

Suleman Shafique has more than a decade of experience as an SEO content writer. He also does translation work between English and Urdu. His YouTube channel, TransTarjuma, is a testament to his translation skills. Suleman likes to write about business, and in this his second contribution to the 21st Century Tech Blog, he tackles the present challenges the automotive industry faces today and tomorrow in a decarbonizing world.

How the Automotive Sector Can Combat Climate Change

Countries worldwide are pledging support to combat climate change. One of the most important industries is automobile manufacturing. To meet the goals of governments and stakeholders in the automotive industry, the latter is bent on reducing carbon emissions through technological innovation. Volkswagen, Volvo, and Daimler have set goals for carbon neutrality by 2050. Volkswagen has invested millions of dollars in electric vehicle (EV) technology. At the same time, it along with other automotive manufacturers continue to produce fossil-fuel-burning vehicles. It’s a conundrum. To stay in business the industry has to be in both camps or face bankruptcy.

Companies are Investing in Electrification

In the standard internal combustion engine (ICE), exhaust gasses make up almost 80% of life-cycle emissions. Hence, electrification represents a primary way for the industry to reduce its carbon footprint. Porsche has committed to electrifying over half of its fleet by next year. But this is easier said than done. The industry faces several challenges in moving its fleet from ICE to electric-powered vehicles. Despite investing money in EVs and a charging infrastructure that can eventually be as abundant as the gas and diesel stations we see today, the automotive industry is still far from lowering emissions to make a meaningful impact on climate change. The transition is huge requiring a new mindset for manufacturers. 

Green Hydrogen As an Alternative to EVs 

Green hydrogen is a fuel that produces power by converting the chemical energy of hydrogen gas into mechanical energy. As a manufacturing strategy, building automobiles and trucks that run on green hydrogen has advantages over gasoline and diesel. Green hydrogen fuel stations aren’t that different from the ones we see today that pump gas and diesel. Pull up to a pump and in a few minutes you are full and ready to go. EVs as yet cannot duplicate the turnaround efficiency but hydrogen-powered vehicle infrastructure can.

The larger challenge for hydrogen is sourcing it from green suppliers. Electrolyzers are used to harvest green hydrogen by splitting water into its component atoms. For the hydrogen to be green it has to either come from natural-occurring sources which are rare or from producing it using renewable energy generated by hydro, solar, onshore, and offshore wind turbines. Building an electrolyzer infrastructure would be key to creating hydrogen-powered vehicles for long-distance travel with quick refuelling turnarounds. The trucking industry is likely the best candidate for the use of this fuel and technology.

Making ICE-Powered Vehicles More Efficient 

About 99% of global transportation today runs on ICE with 95% of the energy coming from liquid fuels made from petroleum. Experts at Yanmar Replacements Parts, a diesel engine aftermarket supplier, state that, “while hydrogen-powered and electric vehicles will be on the rise, ICEs will continue to remain the norm and will be for the foreseeable future.” That’s why companies are reluctant to abandon ICE to make the technology more compatible to lower carbon emissions. By choosing different materials during manufacturing, automotive companies believe that production emissions can be abated by 66%. 

Transforming Vehicle Design

EVs run on batteries, electric motors, and electronics. They require far fewer parts than ICE vehicles which depend heavily on thousands of mechanical parts. This is leading to a revolution in vehicle design using better aerodynamics and lighter materials to improve vehicle efficiency and range. The industry today is using highly sophisticated materials and software since very few mechanical parts are needed. This is making it easier to construct and maintain the EV models being produced. This means suppliers and manufacturers are benefiting from reduced carbon footprints while saving money. 

Transforming Supply Chains

Supply chains are getting disrupted as the industry converts from ICE to EVs and green-fuel alternative transportation. This started in 2023 and persists to the present day. The shift to EVs is changing what goes into a vehicle. There is an increased demand for components like batteries and semiconductors. Fewer mechanical parts mean production lines can be streamlined and automated. Manufacturers, as a result, are relying less on their traditional suppliers and finding new ones. There is less need for assembly line production workers and a constant need to retrain them as EVs rapidly evolve. This is percolating into the supply chain where redesign and retraining are further disrupters.

One key trend in the automotive industry is the adding of mandatory and optional safety features, the former required by governments, and the latter representing the state of the art in advanced driver assistance systems. These features are software-driven and include lane departure warning, autonomous emergency braking, and driver monitoring. In addition, new standards involve comprehensive testing procedures to increase safety performance.

Current EVs, hybrid and ICE vehicles today come with advanced sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar. EVs detect cyclists and nearby pedestrians to alert drivers. They come with data recorders that gather information on vehicle performance and can prove useful in the case of an accident.

An Industry in Transition

One thing is certain, the vehicle you drive off a showroom lot today bears little resemblance to ones from a decade ago. The industry transitions don’t just deal with what fuel is powering the car or truck. The transitions are about combatting climate change through lower carbon emissions which means moving away from burning diesel and gasoline.

The benefits for automobile manufacturers in transitioning from ICE to EVs, hybrids and hydrogen are not limited to being in step with the rest of the global economy in its efforts to achieve a low-carbon future but also include significant cost-benefit reductions as the industry retools.

It may still take a few years for the world to see EV and alternative greener technologies surpass ICE sales, but the commitment from governments and the steps automakers are making will help bring about a huge change.