On Monday, January 30, 2023, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (UTCN) awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to University Prof. Giuseppe CARBONE from the University of Calabria (Italy). Representatives of the UTCN leadership, along with the UTCN academic body members and guests, attended the awarding ceremony of the prestigious title in recognition of professional excellence and valuable contributions to the field of robotics by Prof. Giuseppe Carbone. Among the participants, there were IFToMM Romania representatives, including Prof. Erwin Lovasz (IFToMM Secretary General), Prof. Ioan Doroftei (IFToMM MO-Romania Chair), Prof. Doina Pisla (Director of CESTER and former Chair of IFToMM TC on Computational Kinematics).

The stringent legislation concerning the emissions of vehicles has become one of the strongest factors affecting engine and powertrain manufacturers during the last decade. Consequently, we witness a massive drift toward electrification of powertrains, especially in the automotive industry – a trend which will hold further and promises to get even stronger in the years and even decades to come. In parallel, research and development on much cleaner internal combustion (IC) engines based not only on improved design and control strategy of the combustion process but also on new and alternative fuels, continues as well. Besides that, various types of hybrid powertrains including both IC engines and electric motors take a considerable share in many powertrains produced worldwide. One should not forget the power turbines, used both in transportation machinery and in power generation.

The aim of this book is to cover a wide range of applied research on engines and powertrains compactly presented in one volume, by showing innovative engineering solutions, which already found their place in the development process of improved engines and powertrains used in modern vehicles and power plants.

The Advances in Engine and Powertrain Research and Technology is the first book of the Springer series Mechanism and Machine Science completely dedicated to engines and powertrains. It is published under the auspices of IFToMM and is the result of the work of the members of the Technical Committee for Engines and Powertrains in cooperation with the Technical Committees for Transportation Machinery and Rotordynamics. For more details follow the link: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-91869-9