The preference and the development of electromobility are included among the priorities of transport policies in many European countries. This article deals with the issue of electric vehicle operation from the point of view of the environmental impact of electric power production, specifically the energy effectiveness of its production by utilizing primary power production sources. Differences in the effectiveness of the conversion of mixed forms of energy into electricity and their share in the process directly affect the final level of greenhouse gases (GHG) production, and thus the ecological footprint of electric vehicle operations. The specification of energy consumption and GHG production is based on the principles of the EN 16 258: 2012 standard, which considers legislative-regulated power plant effectiveness values, statistical values of GHG emissions from electricity production, and real energy consumption values of an electric vehicle fleet. The calculation takes into account the share of primary sources and the efficiency of electricity production and effectiveness of electricity distribution in each of the evaluated countries. The specific research study is performed by comparing measured parameters for individual countries chosen from the Central Europe region. The results of the study show that the quantification of the positive environmental consequences of increasing electromobility varies greatly in different countries, which means full-scale deployment of electromobility does necessarily deliver the sustainability of transport that was expected from it.

Human activities, in particular transport, are partially responsible for the problem associated with the greenhouse effect, and therefore global warming. The transport sector is responsible for approximately 25% of carbon dioxide emissions and consumes almost 50% of global oil production. Natural gas as engine fuel has many advantages: lower costs, lower emissions because of more complete combustion, lower noise and longer engine life. The goal of the European Union is that alternative sources of energy represent 20% of total consumption by 2020. According to the global strategy these problems are solving through a series of initiatives and innovations including the introduction of natural gas buses in city transport. If we take into account the existing situation in city transport, the strategic proposal is to begin by retrofitting diesel buses into dedicated natural gas vehicles. This paper analysed some benefits, which summarized according to the author's experiences about the introduction of the compressed natural gas buses in urban transport.

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The development of new lightweight and strong materials and the design of new products are among the key elements for the development of new advanced construction and vehicle parts for the automotive industry. The use of composite materials in the automotive industry has been popular in recent decades due to the need to reduce vehicle weight, which directly affects fuel consumption and exhaust gases emission. In this way, the development of improved new materials with improved performance is accomplished. Nanocomposites represent a new class of materials that has excellent thermal and mechanical properties. The application of nanocomposites for development of automotive components is reflected in the improvement of the production rate, environmental and thermal stability, and the reduction in weight in the automotive industry, less wear parts, and indirectly to reduce CO 2 emissions and environmental pollution. This research paper presents a review of the application of nanocomposites (metal, ceramic and polymeric) in the automotive industry.

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