The Role of Technical Innovation and Sustainability on Energy Consumption: A Case Study on the Taiwanese Automobile Industry

• Main Authors: Chao-Wu Chou, Wen-Chih Liao, Simon Wu, Hui-Ming Wee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2015-06-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: global warming; energy; technical innovation; sustainable development
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/8/7/6627

The impact of global warming and climate change is one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century. The greenhouse effect caused by technological development and industrial pollution has accelerated the speed of global warming. The continuous improvement in automobile energy consumption is one of the most effective ways to reduce global warming. A comparative analysis is proposed to examine the various automobiles that utilize technological innovation to improve their energy consumption. Their contribution to CO2 emissions is then investigated. This study focuses on technical innovation and output power of a conventional engine. The results indicate that innovative engines (such as the Ford turbo petrol/diesel engine, the EcoBoost/TDCi) have improved energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, the Toyota hybrid vehicles have also improved energy consumption and reduced greenhouse gases emissions.