Revved up for revolution

While the automotive industry has often been criticised by environmental campaigners, it has continually cleaned up its act for regulated exhaust emissions. A modern car emits fewer hydrocarbons while running than its 1970s predecessor would use while stationary and with the engine turned off.

Painting a room in an average family house with a gallon of gloss paint also emits more volatile organic compounds than would result from driving a Toyota Prius for 150,000 miles. Moreover, on a typical warm day in a city such as Los Angeles, the exhaust gases of a vehicle such as a Honda Insight hybrid are likely to be cleaner on average than the surrounding air the engine draws in.

These achievements are the result of advanced electronics and control technologies, and the crucial systems engineering, design and integration skills that have developed them into the type of products whose value and in-service reliability are beyond question. While further challenges remain on vehicle emissions, in particular of CO