Conference to shape the cars of the future

More than 200 car designers, manufacturers and developers are expected to converge at Sussex University for a conference about vehicle production on September 18 and 19.

The event has been organised as a joint venture between engineering departments at Sussex and Brighton universities.

Morgan Heikal, professor of automotive engineering at the University of Brighton, said: "The motor industry has changed rapidly as technology has made a major impact. We have called the conference Total Vehicle Technology (TVT) because that is what is happening in the industry.

"It is no longer about designing a component but creating an entire vehicle. The event is about introducing delegates from across the country to what is happening in the market place."

The two-day conference will cover issues from style to emission control, with speakers from leading companies and research groups.

Professor Heikal said: "Vehicles and engines were invented more than 100 years ago but the modern car is unrecognisable from many on the roads just 20 years ago.

"We have to look forward to what we will be working with in the next generation of car design. The major advance of recent years has been electronics. If you look under the bonnet of any new car, you will not see old fashioned mechanical workings.

"Electronics, from engine management control to electric windows, amount to a third to a half of the cost of a modern car. The power of computing also means there is a lot more we can control as a unit."

Technology has also had an impact on the equipment being used to design a vehicle.

Professor Heikal said: "We have to keep up with the developments in virtual design. It used to take three to four years to go from having an initial concept to bringing a car out on the market because ideas had to be cut into a model and tried out before moving onto the next stage.

"This has been brought down to a turnaround of 14 months by using computers to test various designs quickly in a virtual environment."

Jim Mason, business development manager for Worthing-based engineering consultants TWR, will give the opening speech.

He said: "We all need to be aware of the change modern technology is bringing to engineering and recoginise everyone in the automobile industry has a role to play in making sure the changes are for the better."

The organisers aim to make the TVT an annual event alternating between the universities.

For more information log on to:

www.tfmrc.com/tvt