Engine elite in Vienna

Engine elite in Vienna

In 2024, the International Vienna Motor Symposium will focus intensively on the topic of greenhouse gas neutrality: the spectrum extends from the production of e-fuels to green electricity for e-vehicles to the strengths of the hydrogen combustion engine as an emission-free drive. More than 80 high-ranking experts from science, the automotive and supplier industries will present technological and strategic news from the world of drive systems to over 1,000 expected participants from more than 25 countries in the Vienna Hofburg from April 24th to 26th, 2024. The topics of sustainability, energy supply and economy concern the automotive industry more than ever: “The decisive factor for the environmental balance is above all the sustainably provided energy and the energy source,” says Bernhard Geringer, Chairman of the Austrian Association for Automotive Technology (ÖVK) and organizer of the engine symposium. “Green electricity and green hydrogen must become more important in pure electric vehicles.”

According to Geringer, however, there is no silver bullet when it comes to solving the energy issue for mobility: "Depending on the application, different technologies can be the most suitable solution. That's why we are pursuing a technology-open approach at the symposium," emphasizes the engine expert. “New drive systems also need new and, above all, renewable energy: This means that the development and distribution of new drive systems will always depend on the production level of renewable energies.” This year, the International Engine Symposium held at the Vienna Hofburg is focusing particularly on the strengths of the hydrogen combustion engine as an alternative to emission-free drives. “The hydrogen engine is also considered by the EU to be free of greenhouse gases,” says Helmut Eichlseder, head of the Institute for Thermodynamics and Sustainable Drive Systems at Graz University of Technology and deputy chairman of the ÖVK, and further: “The engine symposium will focus on the topics of energy, drive technology, new storage developments, optimized battery cooling and also autonomous driving.” The top-class lecture program is complemented by an accompanying specialist exhibition at which the leading automotive and supplier companies present the latest technologies and developments.