International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

About a hundred young lives are lost on Serbian roads every year. Since the beginning of 2025, eight young people have died in traffic accidents in Serbia. According to Norwegian statistics, the share of traffic accidents involving electric cars more than tripled between 2018 and 2023, but the increase in the accident rate is still proportional to the number of electric cars. The subject of many debates in recent years is the fact that electric cars are very quiet. Electric cars are more likely to be involved in accidents with pedestrians. At least compared to diesel and gasoline engines. In March 2025 at the International Motor Show in Belgrade, the new all-electric “Fiat Grande Panda” produced in Serbia was presented. The launch of serial production at the factory in Kragujevac will affect the economic development of Serbia. The fight for environmental protection is a process that requires long-term commitment, large investments, and active cooperation between governments, the private sector, and citizens.

In the world today, Germany could lose its status as a superpower in the automotive industry, and the German Association of the Automotive Industry considers excessive regulation, slow political decisions and the absence of a legal framework for issues such as artificial intelligence as key problems.
From the year 2021, the list of Chinese companies has doubled. China develops electric motor cars and has taken the lead compared to Europe, especially in battery technologies, but also subsidizes their production. At the same time, China became the world’s largest car exporter in 2023 – it exported 4.91 million cars, which is an increase of 57.9% compared to the last year, becoming the world’s first country according to the number of exported cars.
An additional problem for car manufacturers is created by the European Union’s plans to phase out vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035. There is also a lack of access to the raw materials needed to manufacture batteries and the slow development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Nevertheless, during the year 2023, 254 thousand “Tesla” models were sold in Europe, making this car the best-selling car on the continent.
From July 2024, every new car must have the most modern safety systems, having in mind that 20.400 people died on the roads of the European Union in 2023, according to unofficial data (that’s 1% less than in 2022). From July 7, new cars are obliged to have 10 additional safety systems, which will contribute to increasing safety and reducing the number of accidents.
On the territory of Serbia, a license was issued to one company for test driving of automated vehicles, after tests and analysis conducted jointly by the Traffic Safety Agency and the CIAX laboratory of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade. And from
February this year in Serbia, the registration of those interested in state subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles began and will continue until October. In Kragujevac, from 2024 “Stelantis” will start producing the new “Panda” hybrid. It was announced that it will be called “PANDINA”. And we look forward to its production.

Misfortunes bring people together. Wars, the Covid pandemic, pollution of the environment in which we live. According to a report from “Lancet”, nine million people die from pollution every year. The number of deaths from air pollution and chemical pollution has increased by 60% over the past two decades. Climate change took its toll in 2022 as well (floods, fires, earthquakes, drought and heat, melting glaciers). Uncontrolled urbanization and population growth are also causes. The number of people killed and injured in traffic accidents has also increased. It doesn’t have to be driven faster than life.
The war in Ukraine has been going on for a long time. The Russian auto industry will develop without Western partners (“Lada” model). Several of the largest German car manufacturers have decided to padlock their plants in Russia.
During September 2022, a rally was held in Serbia through four cities, Aranđelovac, Topola, Mladenovac and Belgrade. About 50 timeless vehicles visited these cities. There is also a small museum in Arandjelovac where the oldest car is a “Dodge” from 1924, a “Willys” from 1927, a “Chevrolet” from 1928, a “Pontiac” from 1929 and a “Mercedes” from 1934. Passing the Law on Old-timers will contribute to the preservation and increase of this cultural treasure, and it will make registration and acquisition easier for the owners.
In the new 2023. year, representatives of the Independent Trade Union of the “Fiat Chrysler Cars” factory (FCA) in Kragujevac announced on January 9th that they expect preparations for the start of electric vehicle production to continue with greater intensity in the new year. At the same time, the well-known “Tesla” company was fined about 2.2 million dollars, because it did not inform its customers of electric vehicles about the shorter driving range of their electric vehicles at low temperatures. The American electric vehicle maker’s coldweather driving range drops up to 50.5% compared to how they are advertised online (no mention of range loss in sub-zero temperatures).

We live in a time of the Covid pandemic, when losses are being noticed in the car industry. Experts state that stabilization of the market is not expected before 2023. Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) showed that for the first time in 2021, hybrid electric cars were equalized with “diesels” on the European Union market. Last year, 1.901.239 new hybrid electric vehicles were registered on the common market. In April 2021, our capital Belgrade was awarded for the best Urban Mobility Plan. Our city has increased the safety of traffic participants, given priority to pedestrians and cyclists, reduced emissions and improved energy efficiency, while expanding pedestrian zones. The National Association of Autonomous and Electric Vehicles has launched a project aimed at increasing environmentally friendly traffic in Serbia. Eco 2 line of electric buses works in Belgrade from January 2022. And in Serbia, parts for Audi, Porsche and BMW will be produced in the “Motherson” factory, which was opened at the end of November 2021.

The eco car of the year 2020 was the “Corolla HB” 1.8 HSD. The French made the original car, after the new “Peugeot 208”, the base is the same as in the model “2008”, which is 25 cm longer, the wheelbase is 2.6 meters and it is dominated by power. Its maximum speed is 198 kilometers/h. No one can compare to the French “lion”. “Mercedes” announced that Formula 1 drivers will drive completely black cars instead of the “silver arrow” in the upcoming season, thus promising the fight against racism and increasing diver sity in their champion team.
The auditing company “Deloitte” claims that the automobile industry in the world is about to collapse due to the consequences of the Corona virus pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic is not subsiding, now Mexico and the Brazil are the most endangered. During the epidemic in Serbia in April this year, the production of motor vehicles and trailers decreased by 84%, and in Kragujevac based “Fiat” was faced not only with a lack of demand, but also with a lack of parts for production. During the state of emergency, truckers were particularly endangered and suffered heavy losses. Losses in the passenger domestic and international bus traffic were then estimated at 2 8 million euros.
Despite the pandemic that reigns, “Renault” has confirmed its leading position on the European el ectric car market. The “Renault Zoe” is the best-selling vehicle in its class. “Renault Kangu ZE” achieved the highest sales in the class of electric commercial vehicles. And the offer of electric vehicles for the new 2021 will be enriched by “Renault Twingo Electric” and “Dacia Spring”.
At the end of 2020, the two automotive groups received the consent to merge. “Fiat” and “Peugeot” have joined forces to neutralize the negative effects of the slowdown in demand and more easily bear the costs of producing cleaner vehicles, in order to meet the requirements of the stricter gas emission regulations. The emergence of “Stellantis” will contribute to the expansion of the market.

The new decade symbolically heralds the year of innovations and advancements in automobile sector. Dutch company “Lightyear” has announced that the first “long-range” solar-powered car arrives in 2021. “Lightyear One” will be charged on the household socket, and with a charged battery will be able to cover a distance of 725 kilometars.
At the fair in Las Vegas, a special place was given to electric “Mustang“ with 900 hp. Among the many versions of “Ford Mustang“, for this model six-speed manual transmission was designed and the driver has at disposal three regimes, and the system is controlled by a large central touch screen.
The new European drone regulation, in effect July 1st 2020 will require new compliance and registrations by their users. Unfortunately, during 2019, the public learned that “Audi” is withdrawing 138.000 A3 models of the following class, because their airbag does not open due to a malfunction, (models were manufactured between years 2015 and 2019) and these are: 2015-2019 A3 Sedan, 2015 – 2019 A3 Cabriolet (convertible), 2016-2018 A3 E-Tron (plug-in hybrid), 2017-2019 RS3 (based on the A3), 2015-2016 S3 Sedan (based on the A3).
At the end of 2019, the merger of “Fiat Craisler” and “Peugeot – Citroen”, the two auto giants on the basis of 50:50 and production of 8.7 million cars a year were announced. More recent information comes with the knowledge that these car companies which are in negotiations will sign the merger agreement, which would create the fourth largest car producer in the world. In Serbia there is shortage of about 10.000 drivers and from 80.000 active, already about 10.000 so far took the card and certificate for driving motor vehicles through Europe. Drivers are still in the category of the most wanted professions. In Belgrade City Transportation
Enterprise is planning to hire 110 new drivers for the largest city carrier. Interesting is also the phenomenon of electric scooters that became almost mandatory means of transport in cities throughout the world. These vehicles necessarily need legal restrictions, and it is interesting that Germany already limits the use of electric scooters.

The world is changing very fast. The future already arrived in industry. Europe and China expel classic automobiles and replace them with electrical. European Union predicts that till 2020 they will have 3,5 million electric cars and 800.000 stations for its filling. In Serbia according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs from 2011. only 114 vehicles on electric power and 90 hybrids were registered.
The introduction of vehicles without a driver on the roads of the world will happen faster than lawmakers predicted. Recently, the countries began to discuss laws regulating autonomous vehicles, but only a few of them actually adopted such laws. California, Nevada, Michigan and Florida (USA) allow autonomous cars on the road, while their use on public roads in the states that have not enacted laws is neither illegal, nor specifically allowed.
Experts warn that it could take decades before legislators permit the production of vehicles without manual commands and it is possible that during the transitional period when conventional and vehicles without a driver would share the road, security really could be worse. In order to get a vehicle permit, with robots and electronics in them must also stand the man, as well as the system which in the case of emergency enables taking control by man.
The first passenger drone in the world that can independently carry one person by air got permission for testing in Nevada. In the race entered the Chinese, and the first flying car could have its first drive as soon as next year 2020. The Chinese company “Ehang” still in 2016 presented the model of unmanned aerial vehicle that can carry one person 30 kilometers by speed of 100 km/h. The “Airbus” vision of taxi that solves the problem of traffic jam by throwing away of wheels at a special station and hooking on for the roof the massive drone, to pick it up in the air at the critical moment, was presented.
Expectations are that in this type of traffic the number of accidents would decrease for at least 90%, what would save thousands of human lives, while those who due to some limitations are not able to drive a car would not be discriminated, but could use self-driving vehicles like everybody else.

The homeland of the first modern electrical car is Greece. Legendary Enfild 8000 is one of the first electrical cars in the world, and that small two-seater was also extremely economical. It originated from the Greek island of Syros, where it is exhibited today at the Industrial Museum in Hermoupolis.It is believed that electrical cars are the real small revolution, because we replaced one type of engine with the other, while the autonomous vehicles resistant to human errors will represent the first real big transport revolution of the 21st century. Experts believe that new models of cars will have the best test in Norway1, where during the last year drivers mostly (52%) voted for electric cars and hybrids. Electrified icons: Ford Mustang and Ford F-150 hybrids are coming by 2020. Porsche plans to sell 20,000 cars E mission per year. Also the French are planning to present 8 new electric cars (record holder is the model “zoe”2, and soon the EV version of the “Quid”, a small SUV that is sold on developing markets should join) before year 2022. In Serbia there is a plan to set up more charging stations for electrical vehicles. It will be initially only 3 stations within the project “Green Balkanica”, while it is cited that in China there are even 5 million of these stations.