Propulsion Tech Tops SAE WCX 2021 Papers and Presentations

Combustion, battery, e-motor and driveline developments are only part of the mobility feast being offered at SAE’s 2021 WCX and HEICE virtual events.

April 5, 2021

Lindsay Brooke

Though a fully virtual event for 2021, SAE’s WCX will provide a wealth of invaluable content. (SAE)

The technologies that literally make the world’s wheels go round – the latest combustion systems and battery chemistries, electric machines, drivelines, fuels and more – are the topics dominating the discourse at this year’s SAE WCX, the annual World Congress Experience , to be held in an entirely digital format April 13-15.

Advanced Propulsion-related presentations stand out among the main technical tracks at WCX ’21. (SAE)

Perhaps not surprisingly, Advanced Propulsion/Powertrain is the hot track this year, in terms of both the number of dedicated SAE Technical Papers being presented (337) and the overall total of Propulsion-related presentations (393) taking place during the two-day event. Add to that the dozens of related subsystem papers and discussions in the Emissions Control / Thermal Management and Electronics tracks and, as the accompanying charts illustrate, it’s clear that Propulsion of all types will be a primary focus for many of WCX’s online attendees this year.

SAE Technical Papers covering Advanced Propulsion topics comprise the majority of 2021 papers, not counting the many more hundreds of Propulsion-related papers in Emissions, Controls, Electronics, Materials and Thermal Management. (SAE)

But wait, there’s always more: WCX week once again kicks off with the SAE High-Efficiency Internal Combustion Engine Symposium (HEICE) on April 12, to boost the overall richness, depth and breadth of Advanced Propulsion technical discourse even higher. The 2021 HEICE program features a quadrant of topic tracks: Session 1 covers Electrification, including mild hybrids; Session 2 looks at Heavy-Duty power; Session 3 dives into the Combustion Chamber; and Session 4 looks at Light-Duty Emissions and NOx control.

All provide one of the world’s best professional spaces for engineers, researchers and academia to inform, discuss and understand the latest progress in IC engine and combustion research and electrification, aimed at optimizing energy efficiency, reducing emissions and mitigating systems cost.