Browse Topic: Sustainable development
Letter from the Guest Editors
I was recently visiting a friend as she was cleaning out some of her father's things. As we were going through stories and old photos, we came across an undated picture of a young child, perhaps a year old, sitting in a contraption of a stroller that wouldn't meet any safety considerations parents have today. We were spending time with physical objects that were decades or, in some cases, over a century old. Tin toys. Miscellaneous trinkets. And, most interestingly, stacks of old pictures and faded postcards, glimpses into another time, one long past. It wasn't just the look on the kid's face in this contraption that caught my eye. It was the need to create things like the contraption itself, representing the endless drive humans have to do stuff with the stuff around us, especially if the end result has wheels.
Even after more than 100 years, the internal combustion engine still holds promise, especially with a tank of H2 or biofuel. The internal combustion engine (ICE) often gets overlooked in sustainability discussions. Yet, in light of current decarbonization goals, ICEs continue to play a crucial role in shaping future road transport. The transition to low- and zero-emission technologies varies in pace across the globe, influenced by economic pressures, regulatory uncertainty, and infrastructure challenges. The conversation frequently focuses exclusively on the development of new propulsion systems and infrastructure. However, upgrading and optimizing existing technologies, such as the ICE, alongside the option of new systems, presents a faster and more scalable path to decarbonization. In the century since its introduction, the ICE has undergone continuous refinement, resulting in a reliable propulsion system. It is supported by a robust ecosystem comprising manufacturing assets, supply
Traveling by a two-wheeler has a significant share of commute and non-commute trips, especially in developing and emerging countries. However, with the rising fuel prices and stringent environmental norms, feasibility of conventional two-wheelers needs to be contemplated. As a potential alternative, electric two-wheelers and hybrids/retrofitted are observed as credible travel mode shifts. Intuitively, hybrid or retrofitted are assumed to gain leveraged benefits of both conventional and electric two-wheelers. However, the intrusion of these two-wheelers will sprout out associated concerns, which need to be mitigated with the help of public (consumer) opinion. In this study, a survey of hybrid electric two-wheelers is conducted to examine people’s mindset and the necessity of hybrid electric two-wheelers in today’s market. The hybrid technology can be used on two-wheelers in two different ways: first, it can be retrofitted, and second, it can be fitted to a brand-new two-wheeler
Water scarcity has been referred to as the silent existential crisis of our time. Our planet has very little fresh water — and is running out of it quickly. Yet no one seems to be talking about it.
Two issues ago in this space I wrote about some high-profile struggles hydrogen-technology companies had encountered, including Nikola and Hyzon both ceasing operations. I also recognized, however, that despite legitimate challenges, many OEMs and suppliers continue development efforts, confident that hydrogen - be it in combustion engines or fuel cells - will eventually make its mark on the industry. One segment where this is coming closer to reality is power generation in stationary applications.
Secondary battery electrodes are made by mixing active materials that store electrical energy, conductive additives that help the flow of electricity, and binders, which act as a kind of adhesive. There are two methods for mixing these materials: the wet process, which uses solvents, and the dry process, which mixes solid powders without solvents. The dry process is considered more environmentally friendly than the wet process and has gained significant attention as a technology that can increase the energy density of secondary batteries. However, until now, there have been many limitations to achieving a uniform mixture of active materials, conductive additives, and binders in the dry process.
Lyten is best-known as the developer of next-gen lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery technology. SAE Media spoke with Keith Norman, Lyten's chief sustainability officer, on how 3D Graphene is getting Lyten to branch out into motorsports.
With rising environmental concerns, developing lead-free solders is crucial for sustainable electronics. Traditional lead-based solders, while effective, pose health and environmental risks, prompt a shift to safer alternatives that retain reliability. Sn-9Zn alloys, when alloyed with elements such as cerium (Ce) and chromium (Cr), show enhanced mechanical and thermal properties suited for modern electronics. This study examines the effects of Ce and Cr, and their combination in Sn-9Zn solder alloy, analyzing improvements in microstructure, thermal, wettability, and hardness properties. Microstructural analysis reveals that Ce and Cr additions refine the alloy’s structure, benefiting performance. Wettability testing shows that Sn-9Zn-0.05Ce achieves the lowest wetting angle, while Sn-9Zn-0.05Ce-0.1Cr displays a balanced angle between Sn-9Zn-0.05Ce and Sn-9Zn-0.1Cr. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicate that Sn-9Zn-0.05Ce has the lowest melting temperature, while Sn
Low-Cost Mobile Hydrogen Refuelling Stations: A Cost-Effective Solution for India's Sustainable Transportation” The likely depletion of fossil fuel reserves in the next fifty years and growing environmental concerns caused by petroleum fuel-based vehicles highlight the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. India, a developing country, requires a significant amount of energy to sustain its growth, most of which is imported. Hydrogen is one of the cleanest fuels and offers sustainable pathways to a low-carbon future. The government of India has already launched a Green Hydrogen mission and has set up a very ambitious target for 2030. However, the absence of adequate refueling infrastructure is a significant blockade to India's widespread adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles. The mobile hydrogen refueling station (MHRS) is a flexible system that enables lower initial capital costs than fixed hydrogen refueling stations and allows for the gradual build-up of hydrogen mobility fleets
While new sustainability efforts aim to curb the carbon footprint of the commercial vehicle industry, old methods continue to be among the most effective. Sustainability has been among the hottest topics for the commercial vehicle industry over the past decade. OEMs, suppliers and various governmental agencies across the globe are touting new advances in clean powertrain tech that reduces the industry's dependence on fossil fuel while also considering the complete carbon footprint of the vehicle from cradle to grave. Though these initiatives have their merits, there are old-school methods of reducing the environmental impact of keeping the world moving. Remanufacturing is decidedly not the sexiest of methods for promoting the concept of sustainability. But recycling existing materials and components is a proven tactic for reducing waste and energy consumption.
There's a chaotic elephant in almost every room of the 2025 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo: Tariffs and the Trump administration's seemingly hostile approach to environmentally friendly technology like EVs and alternative energy sources. The Trump administration's announcement on the second day of the ACT Expo that it would be lowering auto tariffs only underscored the uncertainty.
Repartly, a startup based in Guetersloh, Germany, is using ABB’s collaborative robots to repair and refurbish electronic circuit boards in household appliances. Three GoFa cobots handle the sorting, visual inspection and precise soldering tasks enabling the company to enhance efficiency and maintain high quality standards.
Researchers from the Disruptive and Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) interdisciplinary research group of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and MIT, have developed a groundbreaking near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanosensor capable of simultaneously detecting and differentiating between iron forms — Fe(II) and Fe(III) — in living plants.
The race is on for leadership in cislunar space, considered a gateway to the future of space exploration. Yet operating in this domain introduces unique challenges for propulsion systems. In contrast to low-Earth orbit (LEO), the cislunar environment requires higher precision propulsion solutions; these are necessary to enable rapid and accurate maneuvering of spacecraft and long-term sustainability. Propellants like hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide offer the high energy density required for cislunar missions, but they must be handled very differently from the inert, non-reactive gases at play in LEO systems.
Recent advances are reducing the cost of space launch, high specific power solar cells, and the production of satellite systems. Modular architectures with no moving parts and distributed power systems would minimize assembly and maintenance costs. Together, this may enable space-based solar power to provide decarbonized dispatchable power at a lower cost than equivalent technologies such as nuclear power stations. Space-based Solar Power for Instantaneously Dispatchable Renewable Power on Earth discusses the advances in emerging technologies, like thin film solar cells, reusable launch vehicles, and mass-produced modular satellite systems that would make economic space power feasible. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.
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