The automotive industry has known for years that its continued existence depends on its ability to adapt to climate change and make vehicles that produce ever lower emissions. But Neelie Kroes says the survival of the industry is also linked to another factor: information technology-related research and European level co-operation.

Kroes, who is EU Digital Affairs Commissioner and Commission Vice President, told the annual gathering of the European Council for Automotive R&D in Brussels earlier this year that the automotive industry has to improve on the sustained excellence in research within the sector. “Only that can ensure the future successes of this industry”, she said.

Kroes called on the industry to convert their efforts into "a global market success" via enhanced co-operation and standardization of ICT-aided vehicles. "When I speak about ‘Every European Digital,’ what I want you to hear is ‘Every vehicle digital.’ In this way, your daily work is a key part of Europe's digital transformation."

The Council for Automotive R&D has helped the EU lead initiatives to promote road safety and traffic management by pooling information provided by vehicles that are hooked up to the digital network infrastructure, but Kroes urged the manufacturers to collaborate to develop such schemes. "The European automotive industry can stay in the lead if we collaborate. Mess it up and we will be left behind,” she said. “Let's keep and extend collaboration at the European level. Pre-commercial collaboration in research can be key for staying competitive. Reducing risks and costs can give you a better shot at global leadership in the future. We need each other to deliver mobility that is connected, smart, safe and clean.”

The European Automobile Manufacturers are the largest private investors in R&D in Europe with over €26 billion investment per annum, or 5% of turnover, a figure that rises to 30% as a proportion of overall EU industrial R&D.

So, what are the most pressing R&D challenges? Kroes mentioned three:

• Converging the internet and connected vehicles. Wireless communication to and from vehicles is critical to improve both safety and efficiency, but global cooperation and standardization is needed to convert this into global market success. This is where the EU's Future Internet Public Private Partnership comes in, which can seize the opportunities of the next generation of wireless broadband, beyond 3G, to meet the growing demand for vehicle connectivity.
• Electric vehicles. This is where ICT and green vehicles truly meet, Kroes said, co-operative research is needed to help develop global standards. An obvious area is in the complex electronics needed to manage modern, high-power batteries and electric motors.
• Future manufacturing systems. Kroes said that the automotive industry were the last large manufacturing industry left in Europe, and she urged more coordination between the Commission’s industrial policy initiative and the Factories of the Future.