Mobility Engineering and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic will bring together a collection of scientific contributions presented at the CAR2026 – The 36th SIAR International Congress of Automotive and Transport Engineering (https://siarcongress.eu), which will be held from 5 to 7 November 2026 in Pitești, Romania. SIAR (Society of Automotive Engineers of Romania) is a non-governmental professional society whose main objective is to contribute to establishing a framework conducive to optimal collaboration between specialists from academia and research, industry and business in order to achieve its mission of promoting knowledge and progress in automotive and transport engineering. CAR2026 is a long-established scientific event initiated by the Pitești University Centre of “Politehnica” Bucharest in 1978.

Mobility engineering (i.e., automotive and transport engineering) is paramount for human civilization. Considering its impact on the environment, it is essential to pursue a sustainable approach in this field to mitigate the negative effects and ensure long-term ecological balance. Thus, the focus of CAR2026 is “Mobility Engineering and Sustainability”.

This Topic, dedicated to CAR2026 International Congress, reflects the core themes of the conference, with contributions that address the following:

• Accident Research and Analysis
• Active and Passive Safety
• Advanced Engineering Methods (CAx)
• Advanced Materials, Manufacturing Technologies and Logistics
• Advanced Transport Systems and Road Traffic
• Heavy and Special Vehicles
• Hybrid & Electric Vehicles
• Internal Combustion Engines
• Transmission Systems
• Vehicle Electronics and Software

Any other paper presented on a topic not quoted above, but with scientific interest for the general theme of the congress, will be taken into consideration.

A particular strength of this issue lies in its multi- and inter-disciplinary scope, which is a reflection of the mobility engineering field. As the worldwide scientific community continue to seek sustainable pathways for ensuring mobility, we can only hope that the findings and ideas presented in this issue will be useful for the standard “Academia–Industry–State” trinomial.

We are grateful to all contributors, reviewers and organizing partners of CAR2026. They will all make possible the organisation of CAR2026, and hence, the publication of this Topic.

Prof. Dr. Adrian Clenci
Prof. Dr. Ştefan Lucian Tabacu
Prof. Dr. Silviu Ionita
Prof. Dr. Nicu Bizon
Prof. Dr. Eduard Laurenţiu Niţu
Prof. Dr. Rodica Niculescu
Prof. Dr. Nicolae-Doru Stănescu
Prof. Dr. Adriana-Gabriela Schiopu
Topic Editors