30 Power Transmission World - september 2011 TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Franco Concli The major industrial countries have defined new requirements and guidelines for the 21st century: a sensible reduction of the air pollution caused by the vehicles and the migration to renewable energy sources. In this fast-changing scenario, optimization of the single component in terms of weight or efficiency and system integration are playing a key role; only by means of advanced simulation software platforms, it is possible to fulfill the new challenges. Simulation for next generation vehicles F or many years the use of physi- cal prototypes was for engine- ers the only way to have a check about the accuracy of the deci- sions taken during the design phase. In the last three deca- des, in turn, the birth and the development of engineering simulations enabled the op- portunity to virtually test the performance of existing or potential designs for products or processes. his new branch of enginee- continued g