Budding researchers contribute to safer, cleaner and quieter vehicle powertrains
Cutting transport emissions and introducing stricter legislation will help Europe on its path to becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050. Road transport is an important contributor, especially passenger cars that account for around 16 % of all CO2 emissions in the EU. The European Commission adopted a law to make all new cars and vans sold in Europe zero-emission from 2035. The uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) will contribute to achieving this target. With the rapid growth of the EV market, downsized internal combustion engines and hybrids with eco-powertrains are taking on added importance for the automotive sector.
Examining NVH performance
The ECO DRIVE project, which was undertaken with the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, developed new technologies to test and simulate the dynamic behaviour of eco-powertrains. To do so, 13 early-stage researchers (ESRs) took part in a joint multidisciplinary training and research programme. Overall, the aim was to develop a new generation of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) professionals for the transport industry. The ESRs studied issues related to combustion noise, electric motors’ annoying sound, transmission-induced NVH and driveline torsional vibrations. Specifically, they investigated highly innovative simulation, testing and signal processing methods for advanced NVH analysis and the engineering of downsized internal combustion engines, e-motors, as well as groundbreaking lightweight transmission systems. They also validated and demonstrated the suitability of the developed approaches in real-world industrial settings that involved both powertrain test rigs and new vehicles. All these technological innovations have been presented in various publications at conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. The knowledge and expertise of the ESRs will lead to new designs with improved eco efficiency and NVH performance. The project involved nine beneficiaries from leading academic institutions, renowned research centres and Europe’s premier vehicle producers, in collaboration with three partner organisations established in European automotive research and development.
Breeding ground for NVH experts in transport
“The ESRs profited from top scientific research guidance, in combination with highly relevant industrial supervision through secondment exchanges between the research organisations and industry partners,” comments Bert Pluymers, industrial research manager at KU Leuven in Belgium, and ECO DRIVE project manager. “The ESRs received outstanding Europe-wide training, and society benefits from a group of young engineers trained in this exciting cross-disciplinary field.” The dedicated training programme not only covered eco-powertrains, but also critical transferable skills, such as those needed to cultivate the entrepreneurial mindset of ESRs.
Electrifying the future of EVs
Since ECO DRIVE ended in mid-2024, ESRs have greatly improved their career prospects and employability. They all pursued PhD studies. Those who have not yet completed their doctorate degrees will do so in the coming months. Some others are already employed in the field. “Together, they form a nucleus community of NVH engineers for the future European automotive industry,” says Pluymers. “ECO DRIVE shaped both technologies and young, creative people in the crucial field of noise and vibration engineering for tomorrow’s road transport vehicles,” he concludes. “This was only made possible thanks to top-notch academic groups joining forces with innovative industrial market leaders in offering a training environment to employ promising researchers who will take Europe to the next level.”
Keywords
ECO DRIVE, vehicle, NVH, powertrain, noise, transport, eco-powertrain, EV, vibration, automotive, electric vehicle, harshness, internal combustion engine
