This year again, the teachers and researchers of the Széchenyi István University participated in the traditional international conference on sustainability, which was held in Croatia. Zoltán Pusztai, who presented a paper on the optimisation of regenerative braking in a lightweight vehicle, was awarded a PhD student Young Researcher Award.

As every year, sustainability was the theme of the international PRES conference. This year the event celebrated its 25th anniversary. The founder of the conference series, prof. Jiří Jaromír Klemeš, recently received an honorary doctorate from Széchenyi István University.

Széchenyi University is very proud that many of its lecturers and students participated in the event, which covered both technical and economic issues. Zoltán Pusztai, a PhD student at the Győr-based institution, presented the optimisation of regenerative braking of a lightweight vehicle to the scientific audience. The presentation was so well received by the chairs that it was awarded a special prize. The importance and relevance of the research topic is unquestionable, as it offers applicable solutions to today's problems of energy efficiency and pollution reduction.

Zoltán Pusztai with the special prize for his excellent performance (Photo: Csaba József Májer)

"The results of the work presented here can be directly used to further improve the efficiency of the drive cycle of urban electric vehicles. The application of optimised driving strategies, including regenerative braking, can contribute to further energy and pollution reduction in urban transport," said Zoltán Pusztai, whose supervisors are Prof. Ferenc Friedler and Dr. Ferenc Szauter.

The conference was also attended by researchers and lecturers from the Automotive Research Centre of Széchenyi István University. Dr. Boglárka Balassa Eisingerné, Dr. Árpád Tóth and Alex Suta, PhD student, represented the research centre in the field of economic research. In the field of engineering, PhD student Rudolf Krecht also gave a high quality presentation. The scientific papers submitted to the conference are published in a prestigious Q3-ranked journal.