Bozek Vehicle Engineering National Center of Competence

The project follows on from the successful Josef Bozek National Center of Competence for Surface Vehicles (BOVENAC), both in terms of its main objectives and the scope of cooperation between research organizations and industrial companies. Project connects 9 research organizations and 21 industrial organizations involving 7 SMEs and one foreign industrial organization with approx. 90 FTE persons. The outcomes include according to the national type definition 54 functional specimens and prototypes (type G), 5 patents and 8 registered models in the amount limited by non-disclosure care especially in automotive industry (type P or F uzit), 1 verified process technology (Z tech), 17 software (R) and numerous publications and reports inside 62 summarizing other results. The budget is proposed to reach 850 million crowns in 6 years, the funding being more than 670 million.

The main goal of the project is the research development (R&D) of key scientific research competencies and the support of effective cooperation in the field of development of effective technical innovations of surface transport vehicles aimed at finding the optimal balance of their technical, environmental, and economic aspects and reflected by specific materialized outcomes at high TRL, suitable for implementation and deployment. The project envisages the use of natural synergies between road and rail transport. The use of modern digitization tools plays a crucial role in the project. Focus on Life Cycle Analysis and Life Cycle Cost involves social sciences into the project.

The manufacture of vehicles in CR is a traditional and successful part of the Czech industry, covering approx. 10% of the total national GDP, more than 20% of industrial GDP and approx. 25% of industrial export.
The framework objectives from national priorities are Transport and Smart City as the main objective, ICT in Digital Era (Al, virtual reality, big data) as the supporting domain. There are overlaps to the Mechanical Engineering of the 21st Century inside the application, as well. Transport Greening by electrification of vehicles and Digitization, consisting in digital twin, represents overarching themes connecting all partial goals of the project.

The project objective takes European strategies based on results of Paris Climate Conference 2015, Glasgow COP 26, Green Deal for Europe framework, currently specified in Fit for 55 measures into account. It addresses both the strategic research for the decisive economy spheres (automotive, rail and off-road vehicle industries) of the CR and the short-time innovation development with an immediate applicability. The Czech RIS3 strategy topic for the domain III (Transport) Environment-friendly Transport is addressed mainly by sub-topics implementing vehicle and component design and control of powertrains, whereas Technologically Advanced and Safe Transport is involved in AI and autonomous driving parts.

Project proposal objective reacts to the current situation in vehicle design trends, especially stressing the conditions changed in comparison with the JOBNAC (tady bude odkaz na NCK I) project:

• Electrification of vehicles at different levels,
• Digitization of research in thermodynamic, aerodynamic, mechanical, electrical and control domains for vehicles as Key Enabling Technologies (KET), combining it with o testing phases of individual innovations and whole systems,
  • IT tools for vehicle control linked to mobility systems and those for autonomous driving,
  • environmental friendliness of vehicles in the whole life cycle.
• Competitiveness of final products in world markets, fulfilling the items mentioned above.
• HMI with impact of AI and vehicle-to-other subjects (V2X) communications.
• Life cycle analysis of new vehicle concept impacts for different deployment scenarios, creating a link to social sciences, especially economics. 

The main outcomes create a base, usable in future 5 -10 years, namely for:

• New car designs, suitable for EU and emerging markets
• New tram and e-buses designs
• New suburban rail unit designs
• New freight rail car designs
• New components for powertrains, bodies and chassis of surface road, off-road and rail vehicles
• New methods of design and product development, enhancing digitization in the form of digital twins.

The means for achievement of the goals are based on the establishment of inter-sectoral consortium for a long-term synergic collaboration among academia including social sciences (economics), industry, private research and testing/homologation companies, focused on the decisive issues of the future vehicle and mobility markets.

Contact:

doc. Ing. Oldřich Vítek, Ph.D.

Department of Automotive, Combustion Engine and Railway Engineering FME CTU in Prague

E-mail: oldrich.vitek@fs.cvut.cz

Phone: +420 224 353 244

This project is co-financed with state support from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic under the National Competence Centre Programme. This project is funded under the National Recovery Plan from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility