The 13th FKFS-Conference Vehicle Aerodynamics and Thermal Management has officially started! This morning, Prof. Andreas Wagner, board member of FKFS and Chair of the Institute of Automotive Engineering (IFS) at the University of Stuttgart welcomed the international conference participants at the Haus der Wirtschaft, Stuttgart. The conference feastures 30 technical presentations, each highlighting the latest advances in vehicle aerodynamics and thermal management.
The first highlight of the day was the inspiring keynote address by Ian Anderton of Jaguar Land Rover. With his presentation entitled "To Efficiency... and Beyond!" he offered valuable insights into possible future scenarios for automotive efficiency. In doing so, Ian Anderton highlighted various factors such as BEVs, political regulations and emerging disruptive technologies that are influencing and driving technological developments in the industry.
In addition to a trade exhibition, the FKFS-Conference today also offered the opportunity to experience exciting live demonstrations in its Full Scale Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel, Model Wind Tunnel, Thermal Wind Tunnel, Road Way Handling System as well as in the Anechoic Chamber.
Last but not least, the ECARA Award was presented in the evening during the networking event. This award is given annually by the European Car Aerodynamics Research Association for outstanding achievements in final theses by students and doctoral candidates in the field of automotive aerodynamics, aeroacoustics and thermal management. It serves to promote aerodynamic and aeroacoustic research relevant to the European automotive industry. This year, Dr. Dispesh Patel received the special award for his thesis „The Aerodynamic Interaction between Inverted Multi-Element Wings and Rotating Wheels in Ground Effect – A Comprehensive Investigation“.
After this successful start, we are now looking forward to the second day of the FKFS-Conference tomorrow.