Objective: "Contribute to future developments in automotive technology through fundamental and applied research on propulsion technology and fuels."
The Sloan Automotive Laboratory at MIT was founded in 1929
by Professor C.F. Taylor, with a grant from Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., CEO of General
Motors, as a major laboratory for automotive research in the US and the world.
The goals of the Laboratory are to provide the fundamental knowledge base
for automotive engineering and to educate students to become technological
leaders in the automotive industry. These goals are achieved through extensive
research activities in the areas of internal combustion engines and fuels,
fundamental fluid/thermal/combustion studies, and assessment of advanced propulsion
and vehicle technologies, and especially their energy consumption and environmental impacts.
The research activities are sponsored by the automotive and petroleum industries,
by the government, and by private foundations. Examples of engine research
themes include improving the performance and emissions of spark-ignited and
compression-ignited or diesel engines, understanding fuel-air mixture preparation
processes, and engine lubrication studies to reduce friction, wear, and oil
consumption. A clean fuels research initiative is under development. Fundamental
research interests in combustion include autoignition, hydrocarbon oxidation
chemistry, turbulent and laminar flame structure and flame propagation. A
major assessment of future automotive technologies (more efficient engines
and transmissions, hybrids, fuel cells) and their fuel requirements is underway,
focusing on greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The Laboratory has twelve test cells
equipped with modern facilities for combustion. engine performance, and emissions
research, and is equipped with the appropriate instrumentation, diagnostics,
and computer systems. Five faculty and research staff members are involved
in the Laboratory's programs, with about thirty graduate students and several
undergraduates For more information about applying to MIT and working in the
Sloan Automotive Laboratory, please go to http://web.mit.edu/
