Total control on a Bavarian motorway: European researchers and German Police set up a test zone for extensive traffic monitoring. Their goal is to identify overloaded trucks which destroy roads and cause accidents and traffic jams

Punctuality, comfortable travelling, efficient exchange of vehicles. It sounds like a dream, but for Umberto Guida it’s a vision. Guida works for the international Association of Public Transport and coordinates the research project EBSF, European Bus System of the Future, which aims to improve bus services in seven different European cities

With the increase in car numbers on our roads the pollution and congestion in our cities is growing rapidly. This situation becomes problematic especially for city centres with historic heritage like Bologna

An electrically powered micro-carrier could soon revolutionize the way parcel services operate in inner cities
 

Diesel engines used on ships are among the dirtiest in the world. Now a new type of propulsion system could make marine travel much greener. European coastlines will profit from this research by CORINNA LUECKE (Jan. 11)

Engineers from 28 research institutions have combined their expertise to make significant improvements to the electric powered car. They worked on fuel cell technology and electric drive systems to build a car which is cost efficient, satisfies the customers and is ready for mass production. Working together within the European research project HySYS, their aim was to create a standard of the improved and newly invented components

The current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico shows again how dangerous oil exploitation and oil transport can be: no reliable system exists to capture the oil at its source before it reaches the surface. But scientists recently came up with a remarkable solution which is easy to apply and effective - no matter if the oil spill origins from an open well or a sunken tanker

Making traffic more environmentally friendly is not only about vehicle technology. Prof Pilakoutas from the University of Sheffield and his team have created an innovative concrete that saves energy and makes waste tyre recycling economically more attractive

Sponge metal is tested to cut the weight of ships by 30 percent. Researchers from Fraunhofer Institute in Chemnitz, Germany, have developed an aluminum powder that foams when heated up. The new material is lighter than water and has a high stiffness

Traffic in London will increase by 50 percent in the next 15 years. But now a new technology is on trial all over Europe which could help to overcome road congestions in the future

An aerodynamic shaped plastic truck trailer that is as solid as one made from steel but weighs 1200 kg less: Composite Engineers from an independent research centre in Loughborough, UK, succeeded in the development of a new material that could save up to 15 percent of fuel in freight transport

Engineers and material scientists are putting the car on a diet. Their aim is to make the body lighter and thus save on fuel and C02 emissions

A new invention by Italian researchers could provide a significant boost in the performance and efficiency of electric cars. “The ILHYPOS supercapacitor can improve the performance of your electric vehicle, particularly the power, efficiency and duration of the battery”, says Mario Conte project coordinator of the European Research Project ILHYPOS