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Research and innovation

Horizon prize for the cleanest engine of the future

 This prize is now closed

No winner is selected

Six concepts competed to win the prize, of which two submitted working prototypes by the deadline. Neither prototype met the minimum threshold of the competition. Therefore, the prize was not awarded.

Why this prize

Health impacts due to air quality issues in European cities need to be addressed in the long term along with the decarbonisation of transport.

This prize aims at reducing the pollution produced by future new vehicles using either gasoline or diesel fuels and their low biofuel blends available on the market. While hybridisation and electrification are expected to play an important role, the reduction of emissions by conventional engines will still be important.

Supporting information:

  • According to the European Environment Agency air pollution is the top environmental risk factor of premature death in Europe
  • Tests affirm that on-road NOX emissions of light-duty diesel vehicles differ substantially between laboratory testing and actual on-road driving, with average discrepancies of 4-7 times even for very recent vehicles
  • WHO studies reveal that exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes, including reduced foetal growth, pre-term birth and spontaneous abortions
  • Recent studies on air pollution suggest that exposure in early life can significantly affect childhood development and trigger diseases like allergies, asthma or diabetes later in life

Challenge

The Horizon prize for the cleanest engine of the future will be awarded to participants coming up with a solution integrated in a system prototype, which will be able to demonste reduction of emissions of pollutants and lowering fuel consumption in real driving conditions without affecting the operational capabilities of the vehicle.

Documents

20 APRIL 2016
Horizon prize for the cleanest engine of the future (Infographic)
English
(300.65 KB - PDF)
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