Automobiles, the transition has begun

When we think about the car of the future, we immediately picture a silent vehicle, with the battery replacing the gas tank.

The transition to electric is undoubtedly one of the most visible transformations of our time, but we must not overlook the much broader revolution that it entails. This shift, far from being limited to the engine's power source, affects the vehicle as a whole and even the way it is driven. Even in completely unexpected areas—such as the wheels and suspension—profound changes are underway, involving a fundamental reinvention of the car to make it more sustainable, connected, safe, and comfortable to use.

There is no doubt that reducing car emissions is an essential and pressing challenge. According to the STEMI report by the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (2022), the transport sector is directly responsible for over 25% of greenhouse gas emissions and over 30% of CO₂ emissions. Passenger and freight road transport alone accounts for over 92% of the sector's total national emissions. To accelerate the decarbonization process, it is therefore crucial to address the mobility sector, starting with vehicles.

However, rethinking and redesigning the automotive industry is also essential to meet the challenge of global competition and protect the automotive sector through innovation. Building better cars is no longer enough to remain relevant: the entire design and production paradigm needs to be rethought. To address these technological challenges imposed by decarbonisation policies and the highly competitive environment, PoliTO makes use of Interdepartmental Centres, which use cutting-edge research infrastructure to tackle a wide range of multidisciplinary research topics, including those related to land mobility.

Politecnico's CARS - Center for Automotive Research and Sustainable Mobility, stands at the core of this research field. Discussing with its coordinator, Nicola Amati, Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS), a surprising picture emerges: the most complex challenges are not only engineering ones, but deeply human ones, and the solutions being developed could forever change our driving experience, as well as define who will win tomorrow's technological challenge.

As Amati explains, research at CARS focuses mainly on three key areas: "Firstly, we develop technologies to minimize the environmental impact of road vehicles. These technologies directly help reduce emissions: solutions for electrified traction; for the use of non-fossil fuels; for the development of energy storage systems based on batteries or fuel cells, especially by studying the optimal integration of these technologies within the vehicle system. A second pillar is the development of technologies to improve comfort and safety on board, to improve the functions of autonomous and assisted driving, vehicle control, and the comfort of the driver using a vehicle equipped with these technologies. Thirdly, we deal with traffic optimization systems, i.e., the study and creation of vehicle control systems aimed not only at individual cars but at all mobile vehicles, with the creation of organized management systems for a group of vehicles within a context, which may be urban or extra-urban."

 These are, of course, three closely intertwined areas of research.

As Amati explains: “The project funded by the Piedmont Region focused on studying adaptive cruise control solutions, allowing a car to automatically follow the vehicle in front. This system not only enhances safety but also reduces energy consumption, highlighting the connection between safety and environmental impact. Similarly, we have undertaken a series of projects in collaboration with Marelli, aimed at developing suspension systems that utilize the vibrational energy generated by road irregularities. This innovation improves the comfort of the vehicle's passenger compartment while optimizing energy use. These examples illustrate the CARS center's approach, which emphasizes close collaboration with industry partners, such as Marelli, who is preparing to begin production of these systems.”

Many enthusiasts fear that the transition to electric vehicles will forever erase the sensations, sounds, and flavor of driving an internal combustion engine car. But technology is finding ways to preserve and even replicate this experience. Professor Amati shares an illuminating anecdote from a test drive on a track in Hungary: “The driver got into what he thought was a sports car with a combustion engine, drove it, heard the roar of the engine, felt the gear changes, and enjoyed the driving dynamics typical of a high-performance car.” The surprise came only at the end of the test, when the secret was revealed: the vehicle was 100% electric. Every single sensory detail had been emulated with such fidelity that it fooled an expert. This experience demonstrates the enormous attention paid to the “voice of the customer” and how technology can recreate the desired driving experience, regardless of the energy source.

When it comes to electric cars, public debate almost always focuses on three elements: battery size, range, and charging times. Significant innovations in component design and system architecture are leading to revolutionary solutions in this field. The secret lies in the ability to look beyond individual components and consider the entire system, thanks to an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental approach. This is the distinctive approach of researchers at Politecnico di Torino, among the few capable of seeing the whole problem clearly, integrating mechanical, electrical, and digital engineering with a comprehensive view at the system level (the CARS center) and at the level of enabling electrical technologies (the heart of this sector is the cutting-edge PEIC – Power Electronics Innovation Center). This holistic vision has given rise to concepts that could redefine the future of sustainable mobility, demonstrating that the real breakthrough does not lie in ever larger batteries, which, on the contrary, due to their weight and cost, represent an obstacle to the spread of electric mobility, but in a radically more intelligent approach.

We discussed this with Radu Bojoi, Professor at Politecnico's Department of Energy (DENERG) and Coordinator of the PEIC interdepartmental center, together with Andrea Tonoli, Professor at Politecnico's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS) and Coordinator of Spoke 2 Road and Sustainable Vehicles at MOST – National Center for Sustainable Mobility.

As Radu Bojoi explains, research on electronic components plays a fundamental role in electrification: "When talking about electric cars, we often overlook an essential element, which is the electrification of components: electrification of the powertrain, or propulsion system, the elements that make the vehicle move; power electronics, or power supply systems and inverters, which can also be integrated into the motor. All these elements are the subject of our studies: they must be very reliable, lightweight, and easy to integrate into engines. The real skill lies not in creating the individual parts, but in integrating them: this is our specialty, thanks in part to our multidisciplinary approach. Coexisting mechanical components under stress, sensitive electronic circuits, and thermal management systems in a small space to ensure absolute reliability for hundreds of thousands of kilometers is a multidisciplinary problem of enormous complexity.

A recent patent from Politecnico concerns a component designed in a different way: a modular battery.

Andrea Tonoli explains: "As Politecnico, we are coordinating Spoke 2 of the National Center for Sustainable Mobility. In this context, we made an observation: the electric vehicle models currently on the market are at two extremes of the size scale: either very small or very large. There is a complete lack of vehicles on the market weighing around 700 kg that can carry four people with active and passive safety standards comparable to those of other cars. So our activity has focused on proposing solutions that fill this currently unoccupied area: we have proposed and developed a vehicle concept for which we are building a prototype. In this context, we have designed a vehicle that is modular in terms of its powertrain, meaning that it can be adapted to the needs of its users. Basically, the battery consists of two parts, one of which is used while the other can remain at home to recharge. For long journeys, however, both halves can be used. This reduces the weight of the car and optimizes charging times. To give you a comparison: a Tesla battery weighs around 400 kg. Here we are talking about 60 kg per module. This is an example of the usefulness of renewing components in this field."

Sustainability is closely linked to safer and more efficient traffic management. Research and innovation in autonomous and connected mobility are highlighted through two key projects in which Politecnico di Torino is actively engaged. These initiatives go beyond theoretical research; they include real-world trials, referred to as “living labs,” to test solutions in practical settings. The TOMOVE project focuses on the operation of an autonomous minibus and small delivery robots throughout the city, while the HD-Motion project complements these efforts. Politecnico is collaborating with the City of Turin and other partners on both projects.

TOMOVE: living lab for the mobility of the future

TOMOVE is an initiative financed with PNRR funds and led by the City of Turin. The project involves the participation of strategic partners such as Politecnico di Torino, 5T (the municipality's in-house company for electronic traffic management), Università di Torino, and the LINKS Foundation. The goal is to create open-air laboratories to test three macro-themes.

Self-driving shuttle: an electric minibus for transporting people, self-driving but with a safety officer always on board (as required by law), which circulates in a mixed traffic environment, not in a reserved lane, on a public route that winds around the Einaudi Campus. For this project, Politecnico's team has developed a system to detect the presence of crowds (e.g., near a school) and alert the shuttle. In response, the vehicle can modify its “operational design domain,” for example, by reducing its maximum speed to increase safety.

Robots for last-mile logistics: small autonomous wheeled vehicles equipped with a mechanical arm and sensors (cameras, LiDAR, radar), designed to deliver goods and packages in the final stage of the logistics process. They are designed to travel on bike paths and sidewalks, and can cross the road but not travel on it. The software development and deployment of these robots is mainly handled by the LINKS Foundation, with which Politecnico collaborates within the project.

Creating a Digital Twin: developing a digital copy of the traffic situation in Turin for analysis and simulations.

HD-MOTION: a hub for mobility innovation

Unlike TOMOVE, which is a direct testing project, HD-MOTION (Hub for Digital Motion) is a service structure. Created as a European project and now led by CIM 4.0 (a competence center in which the Polytechnic University also participates), the hub offers consulting services based on the “test before invest” model. Its purpose is to provide small and medium-sized enterprises and public administrations with scientific, managerial, and networking support to develop and validate innovative ideas in the field of mobility before presenting them to potential investors.

• A collaboration, funded by HD-MOTION, has been launched with the City of Turin and 5T. The goal is to use artificial intelligence to predict traffic flows and potential critical issues in key areas of the city.
• The ultimate goal is to create tools that enable dynamic, real-time traffic management, not only by suggesting alternative routes but also by actively intervening in traffic flow, for example by modifying traffic light phases based on traffic conditions. Currently, traffic light phases in Turin are controlled remotely by 5T, but changes are made over time frames of weeks or months, not in real time.

 How do autonomous driving systems contribute to sustainability?

We discussed this with Claudio Casetti, professor in the Department of Automation and Computer Science (DAUIN) and member of the interdepartmental FULL - Future Urban Legacy Lab, Politecnico's representative for these projects.

“Firstly, TOMOVE envisages autonomous electric vehicles moving around the city: a self-driving minibus and small delivery robots. These are therefore non-fossil fuel vehicles, which comply with the new regulations at the European level: first and foremost, they are sustainable because they are completely electric. But these systems are also sustainable because they can contribute to traffic optimization. And they are sustainable because they are safe. Politecnico's contribution to the self-driving shuttle circulating the Einaudi Campus is a system for detecting the presence of crowds of people in the area that the shuttle will travel through. For example, the shuttle passes near a school, where crowds could form when schoolchildren leave and their parents come to pick them up. Its signal system causes the shuttle to decelerate.”

But there's more. The autonomous shuttle is designed to integrate into a system of connected vehicles, which is essential for the continued development of autonomous driving.

"The self-driving shuttle is integrated into a system known as ITS, or intelligent transportation system, which provides integrated traffic control: for example, it can communicate with equipped traffic lights, which optimize the speed to be followed to reach the green light. This is one of the potential modes of communication that future connected and autonomous vehicles will also be able to use, and it is also a way to pave the way for a revolution in connected and autonomous vehicles. And I emphasize the term ‘connected’. We often talk about autonomous and assisted driving vehicles, but the connection aspect is also important, i.e., the ability to receive information on traffic conditions or the danger of certain sections of road, not only with sensors located on board the vehicle —cameras, radar, lidar— but also by receiving information that can come from other vehicles suitably equipped for communication or from roadside devices. All this is part of an ecosystem called the Intelligent Transportation System."

In this field, Politecnico has patented V-Edge, developed through research conducted jointly by Politecnico and Northeastern University in Boston. This system provides a solution for reliable communication between vehicles and infrastructure.

Casetti concludes: "In this respect, we are diametrically opposed to Elon Musk: he only puts cameras on his Tesla, while we are focusing on vehicles that use this signal transmission technology to make their presence known or identify other vehicles. And they are not far off. For example, a Volkswagen Golf already sends a signal every second when it is traveling. This signal contains information about its position, direction, speed, and turn signal status... This information is already readable today. At the same time, the vehicle can read information sent by roadside devices, such as traffic lights that indicate the speed required to make a green light, or warning or caution signs. For example, “the underpass is flooded.” All of this contributes to safety, but also to sustainability, because traffic reports can also be received, suggesting a detour.

The future is near, in short. And Politecnico di Torino knows it.