Industry News
Oxford Brookes open sustainable vehicle centre
1st October 2008
The UK’s Oxford Brookes University has opened a new centre that it intends to be at the forefront of developing new technologies to help the motor industry meet the sustainable challenge of the future.
The Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre (SVEC) was launched today at the University’s School of Technology. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, who has a long standing association with the automotive industry, has agreed to be its Patron.
Led by Professor Allan Hutchinson, SVEC will investigate the material and design issues that will allow the development of low mass, low emission, economical vehicles that can be disassembled into their most basic components to allow increased recycling and reuse.
The success of DRIVENet, the UK Network for the design for dismantling, reuse and recycling in road vehicles -also led by Oxford Brookes – has resulted in further funding to develop the new Centre.
In 2007, DRIVENet released the first study of its kind to quantify past and future levels of waste generated by the motor industry world wide focusing on the total amount of waste produced by a vehicle over its whole lifetime – from manufacture, in routine servicing and at the end of life.
SVEC’s current research projects include:
o Disassembly of adhesive bonded joints for repair/end of life
o Safe deployment and disposal of pyrotechnic devices like airbags andseatbelts
o Alternative fuels and fuel additives.
As well as research, the Centre will provide consultancy, produce marketplace reports, run education sessions and courses around sustainable engineering and whole life vehicle engineering, promote Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and undertake testing.
Professor Hutchinson said, “We’re delighted to be able to build upon the work of DRIVENet. It is essential that the current and future issues facing the global automotive industry are tackled now. How to dispose of vehicles more effectively and new designs for disassembly to allow increased recycling will be a key part of our work.”
Dean of the School of Technology, Professor Denise Morrey said, “This new initiative will contribute to the sustainable development of the global automotive industry and the University is excited and pleased to be at the forefront of this activity.”
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