Book excerpt: Light and Heavy Vehicle Technology, Fourth Edition, provides a complete text and reference to the design, construction and operation of the many and varied components of modern motor vehicles, including the knowledge needed to service and repair them. This book provides incomparable coverage of both cars and heavier vehicles, featuring over 1000 illustrations. This new edition has been brought fully up to date with modern practices and designs, whilst maintaining the information needed to deal with older vehicles. Two entirely new sections of the book provide a topical introduction to alternative power sources and fuels, and battery-electric, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles. More information on the latest developments in fuel injection, diesel engines and transmissions has also been added. An expanded list of technical abbreviations now contains over 200 entries – a useful resource for professional technicians in their day-to-day work. This book is an essential textbook for all students of automotive engineering, particularly on IMI / C&G 4000 series and BTEC courses and provides all the underpinning knowledge required for NVQs to level 3. By bridging the gap between basic and more advanced treatments of the subject, it also acts as a useful source of information for experienced technicians and technically minded motorists, and will help them to improve their knowledge and skills.