An international conference on sustainable mobility and transport, co-organised by the Audi Hungaria Faculty of Vehicle Engineering and the Automotive Industry Research Centre at Széchenyi István University, brought together automotive researchers and industry experts to present their latest findings. The three-day event featured participants from the US, France, Italy, Germany among others.

One of the biggest industrial challenges of the 21st century is sustainable transport, a topic in which Széchenyi István University has been carrying out research and development activities for many years. Both the Audi Hungaria Faculty of Automotive Engineering and the Automotive Research Centre of the University are involved in cutting-edge mobility technologies, and the first SMTS (Sustainable Mobility and Transportation Symposium) was jointly held and organised from 14 to 16 October, providing a forum for international experts in sustainable mobility and transportation to discuss the latest scientific findings.

At the opening ceremony, it was highlighted that the University's multi-disciplinary activities are defined by its commitment to the development of forward-looking technologies and sustainable development. Dr József Bokor, Vice-President for Research and Innovation, said that the University is involved in a number of national and international research programmes in the field of artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles, next to innovative areas such as drone technology. He also stressed that the event was an excellent opportunity to strengthen scientific links, including the possibility of joint publications.

The programme featured presentations by renowned experts from prestigious institutions such as the TU Delft in the Netherlands, the University of Catania in Italy, the University of Central Missouri in the US and Florida Polytechnic University. The latter was represented by Dr Rahul Razdan, one of the professors at Széchenyi István University on a Fulbright scholarship this semester, who also gave a plenary lecture on the measurement and the controling of autonomous systems.

In addition to higher education institutions, industry presence also played a prominent role at the conference, with key players in European vehicle development also presenting their latest results. Dr István Szászi, Head of the Bosch Group in Hungary and the Adriatic region, spoke to the audience about the present and future of the automotive industry, highlighting the challenges of developing electric cars, with a special focus on their sustainability and economic aspects. The participants also had the opportunity to learn about a special corporate cooperation, a joint engine quality assurance and qualification project between Audi Hungaria and Lamborghini, presented by Dr Gábor Gubicza from Hungary and Silvio Biasi from Italy. Dr Thomas Garbe, Senior Manager of the Volkswagen Group, gave a presentation on one of the most pressing issues in the automotive industry, fuels.

Among the 14 sessions of the three-day event, every automotive or transport researcher could find the area of expertise which suited them the best. Topics included vehicle development, diagnostics and testing, materials technology, autonomous systems, transport and logistics, artificial intelligence, electromobility, propulsion, and even management, motorsport and health. The symposium will be held again in 2025 owing to the success of this year's event.

 

 

 

Snapshots from the conference (Photo: András Adorján)