A Textbook of MODERN AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES

The automobile is changing more rapidly today than at any time since its invention. For most of its history, a car was mainly a mechanical machine powered by an internal combustion engine. Today it is a highly integrated system combining mechanical structures, electrified powertrains, high-voltage batteries, dozens of networked computers, millions of lines of software, advanced sensors, and permanent connectivity to the cloud and the surrounding infrastructure. Modern Automotive Systems and Technologies: Fundamentals of Vehicle Systems, Electrification, Electronics, Automation, and Intelligent Mobility was written to help undergraduate students understand this transformation as a whole. It starts from the fundamentals of vehicle architecture, combustion engines, powertrains, chassis, and dynamics, and then builds toward electrical and electronic systems, hybrid and electric propulsion, energy storage and charging, in-vehicle networks and software, functional safety and cybersecurity, driver assistance and automated driving, and connected and intelligent mobility.


The book is designed as a core text for undergraduate courses in automotive, mechanical, electrical, mechatronic, and transportation engineering. It is also a structured introduction for practicing engineers moving into new areas of the field. Each section opens with clear learning objectives and develops its topic from first principles, supported by labeled illustrations, schematics, digital renderings, and charts. Worked examples show how the governing equations are applied to realistic engineering problems, from engine performance and braking forces to battery pack design, CAN bus load, radar range resolution, and robotaxi fleet sizing. Engineering Insight boxes connect theory to industrial practice. Section summaries, key-term tables, review questions, and curated further reading reinforce learning and encourage deeper study. Throughout, the text emphasizes systems thinking: understanding not only how individual components work, but how they interact to determine the safety, efficiency, performance, and sustainability of the complete vehicle.


The automotive industry now faces challenges that reach well beyond engineering: decarbonizing transport, eliminating road fatalities, protecting connected vehicles against cyberattacks, and ensuring that automation and artificial intelligence serve society fairly and responsibly. For this reason, the book also covers global regulations, sustainability drivers, life-cycle thinking, and the ethical and societal implications of new mobility technologies. Engineers who will design the vehicles and mobility systems of the coming decades need a broad and integrated foundation, together with an awareness of their professional responsibility to the public. It is our hope that this textbook gives students that foundation and inspires them to help shape a mobility future that is safe, clean, efficient, and accessible to all.