E2V (08/2011 - 10/2014)

Traveling in the park with an electric vehicle, being brought to the desired destination semi-autonomously and receiving up-to-date information at the same time: This is the goal of a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research at the University of Kassel with the participation of the Department of Systems and High Voltage Technology (FG AHT).

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the research project "Electromobility Concept with Semi-Autonomous Vehicles"(E2V) with a financial volume of 2.91 million euros. Five departments of the University of Kassel - including the Department of Systems and High Voltage Engineering - and six industrial partners are involved in the project. A pilot project in Europe's largest mountain park, Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel, will prove the usability of the project results and their practicality.

Industry and research: The search for environmentally compatible individual mobility

The greatest challenge facing the automotive industry worldwide is to secure environmentally compatible individual mobility in the long term. With a view to the desired use of renewable energies and zero local emissions, great expectations are being placed in electromobility. From the perspective of the automotive industry, Germany's leading role in automotive engineering must be maintained in a "electromobile future". The German government has therefore set itself the goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on Germany's roads by 2020 as a first step. The German automotive industry is to become a leading provider of electromobility.

However, there are still major technological hurdles to overcome on the way to marketable electric vehicles. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research's "Key Technologies for Electromobility - STROM"funding program supports collaborative projects, particularly in the fields of battery research, energy management and complete vehicle systems. The STROM funding priority is based on the recommendations of the National Platform for Electromobility.

Electromobility concepts of the future

For many enclosed areas such as city centers, traffic-free residential areas, parks and cultural landscapes, the use of conventional road vehicles is prohibited due to their structural conditions or certain environmental and tourism aspects. On the other hand, it is fundamentally desirable that elderly or mobility-impaired people in particular can move around in these areas without having to make costly changes to the infrastructure. In doing so, they could additionally receive up-to-date information on the surroundings and make use of a driver assistance system that guides them to a desired destination semi-autonomously, i.e. without the occupant having to actively intervene in the vehicle control or charging processes. The aim of the E2V project is to enable these applications with a compact, maneuverable and lightweight electric vehicle.
The plan is to integrate various solution approaches for the mobility of the future in a single-axle, two-wheeled vehicle for up to two people.

Participation of the Department of Systems and High-Voltage Engineering

The Department of Systems and High-Voltage Engineering is working on one of the focal points of the joint project with the sub-project "Integration of navigation and information system". The core of the project is the creation and integration of a navigation system. The core of the project is the development and integration of a navigation system, which allows a very precise determination of the vehicle position by linking satellite data and other navigation technologies. This enables the vehicle to be operated semi-autonomously, which can, for example, prevent it from driving in areas that are not permitted or monitor compliance with the traffic regulations specified for certain sections of the route. Furthermore, aspects such as drive management, safety, orientation, fleet management, vehicle return, anti-theft protection and interconnection are taken into account.
At the same time, an information system is to be implemented that provides context-related information based on the current location, the driving route and user-specific interests.

Since the planned vehicles move in a limited space at low speed, batteries with a small capacity are sufficient for operation. The low vehicle weight additionally promises high energy efficiency. The advantages of electric propulsion are thus exploited without its shortcomings - such as limited range. Building on the research results of the project, insights are to be gained for future individual mobility, especially in large cities.