2015

The Fraunhofer IVI had the opportunity to illustrate their expertise in the fields electric and hybrid commercial vehicles, remote battery diagnosis and optimization of logistics processes at the IT user conference »Telematics, Digital Tachograph, Logistics Software« on November 11 and 12, 2015 in Berlin. A particular highlight for the visitors was the presentation of IVIon, a telemetry platform for the remote diagnosis of traction energy storage units. The use of IVIon enables operators of electric commercial vehicles to compile detailed diagnoses and obtain maintenance advice for their traction batteries.   

Through its presence at the conference, the institute was able to point out advantages and pitfalls of the implementation of electric and partially electric commercial vehicles in the logistics sector, and to present itself as a competent advisor in the planning, implementation and operation of these vehicles.

The 3rd Dresden Conference »Future in Energy« was held on November 10th and 11th, 2015 at the International Congress Center Dresden. Its aim was to present interesting topics and the newest developments in the fields of electricity generation, energy storage and energy efficiency.

The Fraunhofer IVI headed a conference session entirely dedicated to specific questions relating to the topic »mobility«. In a number of interesting talks, practical examples such as fast-charging electric buses and others were presented. The introduction of a futuristic pedelec as an example of innovative modes of micromobility served as an ideal opportunity to illustrate two core topics of the Fraunhofer IVI research and development portfolio: the importance of new battery systems and their application-oriented characterization.

Today, innovations in the energy sector are more important than ever for the sustainable future of economy and society. The lively exchange between representatives from industry and science and the accompanying exhibition made a valuable contribution to that aim.

The second Review Meeting of the ongoing iCOMPOSE project was held on November 3^th and 4^th, 2015 at the research institution Flanders Make in Lommel (Belgium).

The Fraunhofer IVI presented the results of two years’ successful research and development work to the European Commission and the reviewers. Among others, these results included a model predictive controller for optimal load distribution between batteries and supercaps. As the researchers could prove on the institute’s own test stand, the model predictive controller lowers stress on the battery, saves energy and increases the overall efficiency, which in turn leads to higher ranges for powerful vehicles.

Further research topics of the Fraunhofer IVI within the project are the optimization of public transport vehicles’ indoor air-conditioning and the development of highly dynamic DC/DC converters.

In May 2015, a large European Project that looks at the future of public transport from different relevant angles was revived under the title »European Bus System of the Future 2 – EBSF2«. The Fraunhofer IVI contributes to two larger research topics dealing with city buses. The first of these topics aims at increasing the efficiency of electric buses via an intelligent management system for the auxiliaries, while the second one is concerned with the needs-based adaption of the length of city buses during regular operation. The latter proposes to split an 18 m-long articulated bus so that the 6 m trailer can be detached at the articulation joint and the remaining 12 m segment can be used independently as a fully functional city bus.

This stunning development result is regarded as absolutely new and highly innovative. The concept will be demonstrated with the AutoTram^® Extra Grand in the course of 2017. Work on the demonstrator is scheduled to begin within the next month with the division of the vehicle into its three individual segments. Luckily, this separation is only going to be temporary!

A key role within the research project is taken on by Hübner GmbH, the world’s leading manufacturer of joint systems for city buses.

Battery buses will require a detailed evaluation of their possible applications in the long term.

This September, the Fraunhofer IVI successfully completed introduction concepts for the use of battery buses in the route networks of the city of Aachen and the Munich area. In addition to priority lists for the route-by-route introduction of battery buses with fast charging, the locations for the charging stations have been determined and scaled in terms of their charging power.

The analyses have been aligned to the existing operating procedures. Vehicle schedules and graphic schedules were used as a basis, provided that these would not have to be changed with the use of fast charging battery buses.

Further investigations are carried out within the project BEEDeL, focusing on the entire bus network of the Hamburger Hochbahn.

• Fast-charging Electric Bus

From September 15 to 18, 2015, the hybrid range extender HY²PE²R was presented at the IAA Automotive in Frankfurt, Germany, for the first time.

The compact range extender, a development of the Fraunhofer IVI, offers various different modes of operation with which it is possible to reduce the noise and pollutant emissions in urban areas significantly. The technology was developed within the scope of the Fraunhofer System Research for Electromobility.

• Press Release

On September 16, 2015, a virtual topping-out ceremony was held for the autartec^®-FreiLichtHaus on Fraunhofer IVI premises.

The aim of the colloquium, which attracted a large number of professional visitors, was to present the current development state of the autartec^® project to the public. The term »virtual« was used in order to clarify that no actual building has been constructed yet, but that the »virtual« planning phase has entered an advanced state manifested by a concrete demonstrator design. This design under the title autartec^®-FreiLichtHaus was submitted to the Brandenburg Design Award and nominated after a preliminary screening of the candidates.

The topping-out ceremony was framed by a lecture program consisting of three sessions in correspondence to autartec^®’s three sub-projects:

• Design and building materials
• Energy generation and storage
• Controlled consumers and building management system

The traditional topping-out ceremony was the highlight of the event. After the reading of the topping-out address and the hammering of the last nail, a model of the autartec^® building in the scale of 1:10 was placed in water, the envisaged surroundings of the future full-size demonstrator.

The guests then had the opportunity to tap into their creativity by folding a paper model of the building from a card kit. Later, they were able to take part in a ride on the AutoTram^® ExtraGrand, result of another large-scale project at the Fraunhofer IVI.

Following the lectures, there was an in-house exhibition during which the development states of some of the autartec^® technologies were presented and discussed professionally.

The third autartec^® project meeting was held on August 27th, 2015 at the Fraunhofer IVI along with a strategy workshop. During a retrospect of the past year, the first promising research results were presented and the project was positioned within the current research landscape. Both the development of structurally integrated building elements made of fabric-reinforced concrete, which can hold an electric energy storage system designed at the Fraunhofer IVI, and the research on novel utilities systems for autarkic floating buildings are proceeding according to plan.

Now that the building’s overall design and basic technical requirements have been specified, the project partners can begin to design the floating architecture and the technology to be contained in it.

The BMBF-funded Innovativer Wachstumskern autartec^® unites 13 industrial enterprises and research institutions from the region South Brandenburg and East Saxony in a joint collaboration.

For further information on the autartec^® project, its partners and research topics, please visit: www.autartec.com (in German language)

From September 12-13, the autartec^® FeiLichtHaus design was presented at the Bauen Kaufen Wohnen (Building Buying Living) trade fair in Dresden. In hall 4, at booth K14, the interested guests were able to gain a first-person impression of the house and its integrated innovative technologies.

Within the scope of the journey of the Governor of Nevada, Brian Sandoval, to Germany, a delegation of high-ranking officials from industry and science of the US state visited Fraunhofer IVI on July 28, 2015.

While at the institute, the guests engaged in animated discussions on possible cooperation and were highly interested in latest developments in the fields of electromobility and intelligent transport systems.

Representatives of Zhejiang Insigma Technology Co. Ltd. visited Fraunhofer IVI on July 22^nd,2015. The delegation was led by Prof. Qin Yongsheng, the company’s president. The guests showed great interest in the research fields of Fraunhofer IVI and engaged in very fruitful discussions on sustainable transport systems. 

OMNIBUSREVUE readers give an award to the EDDA-Bus

The electric bus with fast charging capacity successfully completed its test run and has received positive feedback on each driven kilometer.

On July 20, 2015, the bus received its first official award.

• Link to the press release (German language)

Within the BMBF-funded Innovative Regional Growth Core autartec^®, a total of 13 industrial enterprises and research institutes from South Brandenburg and East Saxony are currently developing new technologies for autarkic buildings. These technologies and their associated design concepts will then be implemented in the Neue Landschaft Lausitz (New Landscape Lausitz).

A comprehensive design and architecture concept called FreiLichtHaus was developed especially for the project. The autartec^® design team, consisting of architect Maren Kupke (AIB GmbH), technical designer Ernst-Eckart Schulze of the Fraunhofer IVI and Thomas Wilde (Wilde Metallbau GmbH), expert in the field of floating houses, have now submitted their concept to the Brandenburg Design Prize.

The autartec^® FreiLichtHaus design is characterized by contemporary architecture in symbiosis with structurally integrated, autarkic technologies for the management of water/ wastewater, electric energy and thermal energy. The combination of the components in a floating house is a symbol of a free and independent lifestyle based on modern technology. The building itself consists of three intersecting cubes, each reflecting one of the three autarkic areas. The building’s sculptural design is topologically divided into different surfaces aligned to guarantee an ideal energy output.

The project partners are currently carrying out extensive research on solutions for sustainable building and technologies for autarkic energy supply. The results are to be implemented as central components of the autartec^® FreiLichtHaus by the end of the project in 2017.

The research conducted at the Fraunhofer IVI focuses on the development of structurally integrated storage units, for which the institute can draw upon long-standing experience in the field of battery technologies. Additionally, the institute works on solutions for the efficient supply and demand-oriented management of heating and cooling inside the building.  

• Further information

The Fraunhofer IVI is involved in numerous new EU-funded projects that have been officially launched in the past weeks. Some of these projects are coordinated by the Fraunhofer IVI, in others the institute participates as partner.

The EU-CIRCLE research project officially launched in June 2015 aims to assess the resilience of interconnected and interdependent critical infrastructures to climate change. The project brings together 20 leading European research/academic institutions, governmental organisations, meteorological services, and industries and SMEs from the climatology and critical infrastructure protection domains in order to derive an innovative framework for supporting the interconnected European Infrastructure’s resilience to climate pressures.

• Press Release

On May 7th, the EU-funded IT2Rail and In2Rail projects will be officially launched in Brussels. They are two of the four flagship projects intended to establish the technical foundations for the Shift2Rail technology initiative of the European rail industry. While IT2Rail focuses on information, ticketing and booking services along transnational travel chains, the main topics of In2Rail are the design, technical construction and maintenance of railway infrastructures. The two projects will unite over 70 partners from industry, railway companies, and research organizations.

The Fraunhofer IVI researchers will contribute their know-how in the fields of information and ticketing services in public transport, infrastructure management and maintenance planning.

• Press Release

Another new European Union research and innovation project launched in May 2015 is TARGET (Training Augmented Reality Generalised Environment Toolkit). The project, bringing together the expertise of 16 organizations, will jointly deliver a pan-European serious gaming platform featuring new tools, techniques, and content for training and assessing skills and competencies of Security Critical Agents (SCAs), including counterterrorism units, border guards and first responders (police, firefighters, ambulance services, civil security agencies, and critical infrastructure operators).

As the second largest technological partner within the project, the Fraunhofer IVI is responsible for major parts of the overall system architecture development. In addition to this conceptual work, the institute will develop the actual core of the training system: the simulator. Moreover, the institute will carry out tasks of integrating components designed jointly by several project partners into the system.

• Press Release

Fraunhofer IVI is the Project Coordinator of INFRALERT (Linear Infrastructure Efficiency Improvement by Automated Learning and Optimised Predictive Maintenance Techniques), a three-year project that has officially started in the beginning of May. The main objective is to develop an expert-based information system to support and automate linear asset infrastructure management for infrastructure such as rail or road networks.  

The condition of the land transport infrastructure highly influences the societal and economic competiveness of a region. While the demand for surface transport will significantly increase in the next years, a substantial rise in financial resources for enlarging and maintaining infrastructure networks is not in sight.

In order to still meet the increasing demands, INFRALERT aims at optimizing the performance of existing infrastructure.

• Press Release

The Fraunhofer IVI participates in five more EU projects that will start in the next few weeks.

Together with the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the Fraunhofer IVI presented itself under the motto »Electromobility moves all of us – from current research to application«.

The institute’s fast charging battery bus and e-bike VeloCité were not the only crowd pullers: two fully electric BMW i3 were also able to capture the attention of the interested visitors.

The large-scale event was held on occasion of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg’s 250 year anniversary.

The 6^th VDI Expert Conference on Fugitive Emissions (6. VDI-Fachtagung »Diffuse Emissionen 2015«) was held from June 11^th to 12^th in Düsseldorf. Key topics were the measuring, modeling and - of course - the reduction of airborne pollutants such as particulate matter, aerosols, NO_X and other gases. Together with Palas GmbH, the Fraunhofer IVI had the opportunity to present their flying mounting frame HORUS^®, which was equipped with a particulate matter sensor for the occasion.

HORUS^® allows easy positioning in three-dimensional space. By combining it with the sensor, a high-performance system is created that is able to acquire continuous measuring data on the concentrations of PM1 to PM10, as well as PMtot. This measuring data can subsequently be used to quantify the particulate pollution caused by fugitive emissions from sources such as opencast mining and agriculture.

A future application for the system is the acquisition of data for particulate matter dispersion modeling. These models are becoming increasingly important for reliable forecasts on particulate pollution in cities and other areas with complex air flow characteristics. Prognoses are especially relevant for the testing of measures aimed at reducing air pollution, such as low emission zones and emission-free zones in inner cities. The Fraunhofer IVI can draw upon over ten years of experience in the modeling and prognosis of particulate matter levels.

The VeloCité concept had already fascinated experts and end users at last year’s Eurobike, the world’s biggest bicycle trade show. This year, Eurobike’s visitors had the chance to take a look at a fully functional demonstrator bike. The carbon frame pedelec was developed over a course of three years within the VeloCité project funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

Its frame and rims are lightweight components made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic, developed by CarboFibretec GmbH in collaboration with the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology of the TU Dresden. Further innovative features are the unique linear motor propulsion concept and the extravagant design.

The pedelec is driven by a linear motor integrated into the frame, which exerts its force on the magnets located in the rear wheel. The necessary highly integrated power electronics were provided by TRINAMIC Motion Control GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg.

The two Fraunhofer Institutes ISIT and IVI contributed their expertise in the field of battery research. The lithium iron phosphate battery and the battery management system (Fraunhofer IVI) are both lodged in the down tube and are invisible to the eye. They communicate via Bluetooth interface with the rider’s smartphone, which can be attached magnetically to the handlebar. With a total weight of less than 15 kilograms, the pedelec is one of the lightest among e-bikes with a similar electric range.

Results of PrimAIR Research Project Presented at the INTERSCHUTZ in Hannover

Due to lacking economic feasibility, it will be increasingly harder to guarantee high-quality land-based emergency medical services for many sparsely populated and structurally weak regions in the decades to come. Switching to airborne rescue services, however, may ensure the availability of adequate emergency medical care in these regions.

These are the results of the three-year »PrimAIR« project (PrimAir - Air Rescue as an Innovative Concept for Primary Rescue in Structurally Weak Regions), which was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research.

Representatives of all eleven project partners had the opportunity to present their results at the INTERSCHUTZ, an important convention on security, fire and emergency services, on June 10^th, 2015.

• Press Release (in German)

The first cluster meeting of the Fraunhofer System Research for Electromobility was held at the Fraunhofer IVI on Tuesday, June 9^th, 2015. The Fraunhofer IVI is a member of the »Batteries and Range Extenders« cluster, which aims at developing new technologies for the energy supply of electric vehicles. The cluster’s work topics range from the development of new cell chemistries to the testing of fuel cells as range extenders.

In this context, the Fraunhofer IVI has designed a range extender for commercial vehicles and agricultural machines within the past two years. The design was given the name HY²PE²R (HYdraulic HYbrid Power for Extended Electric Range). Its distinguishing feature is that it provides both electric and hydraulic energy as energy supply for engines, thus allowing both innovative electric components and conventional hydraulic components to be operated in the vehicle.

Due to this comprehensive, holistic approach, it is now possible to integrate new functionalities, such as silent electric operation of the hydraulics system and energy supply for electric leaf blowers, pumps or other auxiliary devices.

During the cluster meeting, the institute researchers also had the opportunity to demonstrate the functional capability of the HY²PE²R unit and its automated interaction with the components of an electric drivetrain on the Fraunhofer IVI test stand.

Under advanced security precautions, the G7 meeting of the finance ministers and central bank governors of the world’s leading industry nations was held in Dresden from May 27^th to 29^th, 2015.

New systems and modules developed by the Fraunhofer IVI’s »Strategy and Optimization« department proved a reliable support for the security services during the planning and execution of the large-scale, three-day operation and helped to ensure a smooth progress of events.

The responsible parties were very satisfied with the overall results of the operation.

Bus tester Sascha Böhnke followed the electric bus with fast charging capacity on its tour through Dresden on February 20th, 2015. The resulting video clip can be viewed from April 9th, 2015 on Bus TV.

• Video Link

For ten years now, the Verkehrsbetriebe Nordhausen (VBN) and the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH (HSB) have been applying the »Nordhäuser Modell«, an innovative transport concept that has succeeded in increasing the attractiveness of local and regional public transport between the towns of Nordhausen and Ilfeld through the mixed operation of trains and dual-voltage trams of the type Combino DUO. These trams are able to either take their energy from a catenary (in local transport) or switch to a diesel generator unit for catenary-free driving (in regional transport).

As a preparation for the procurement procedure regarding the replacement of their hybrid drives, the VCDB VerkehrsConsult Dresden-Berlin GmbH commissioned the compilation of framework conditions and requirements for a propulsion unit. To this end, the Fraunhofer IVI collected a large amount of data during a measurement campaign in regular operation. Additional extreme scenarios, such as the towing of a second tram or a »heating tour«, during which the set heating temperature was manipulated, were tested in the course of specific measurement tours.  

A route-based energy and performance balance was generated from the high-resolution data and different worst case scenarios were demonstrated as a basis for the future technical design of a propulsion unit and energy storage system. Special focus was put on passenger area heating and the recuperation potential of the braking energy, since these two parameters have a substantial influence on the overall energy demand. Finally, the data allows conclusions about whether on-board energy storage units, which can be recharged via the catenary while the vehicle is driving, will be suitable for future applications. The installation of a stationary recharging location at the terminal station in Ilfeld could be an alternative to underway recharging.

Due to their high storage density, zeolite units are a promising technology for storing thermal energy in industrial facilities and buildings. Project »MoGeSo-Wa«, a research project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, is dedicated to the comprehensive development of a large modular storage system. In the process, it will span different disciplines such as materials research, systems and process engineering and storage management.

For the users, storage capacity and costs for acquisition and operation are not the only factors of interest. It is also important to know how much heat has actually been stored during one charging process and what percentage of that heat can later be extracted on a specific heat level for a specific application. Within project »MoGeSo-Wa«, the Fraunhofer IVI is developing a tool that allows a state of charge estimation of zeolite heat storage units. With the help of this tool, the aforementioned questions can be answered and the storage unit can be integrated in the process chain.  

First results based on simulations and observations gained from a prototypical implementation in a test facility owned by the Fraunhofer IGB were presented on March 24, 2014 during a project meeting in Chemnitz.

The Hamburger Hochbahn AG is the second largest public transport provider in Germany and the biggest partner in the transport association Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV). The company plans to exclusively purchase emission-free public transport vehicles from 2020 on. This also includes city buses for operation in Hamburg. The realization of this ambitious goal requires a detailed scientific study on the extensive introduction of fully electric city buses.

The Fraunhofer IVI has long-standing expertise in the scientific monitoring of hybrid and electric bus operation and supports Hamburg in developing an introduction concept with the aim of providing the Hochbahn AG with the best possible planning security regarding the future purchase of electric buses and the associated charging infrastructure.

The project is realized in cooperation with the Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg in the context of the BMVI-funded project »BEEDeL«. HAW is responsible for the lifecycle prognosis of the vehicle batteries as well as for the measuring equipment used to monitor the vehicles in regular operation.

The kick-off meeting for the two-year project was held on March 20, 2015 in Hamburg. The Fraunhofer IVI is looking forward to the collaboration.

The R&D Cluster »4th Generation EV« unites five EU-funded projects with a total of 40 partners from 12 countries under the guiding theme »Computer on Wheels« with the aim of synchronizing and supporting research related to electric vehicles.

The Fraunhofer IVI is a partner in two of the cluster’s projects. Within project IMPROVE, the institute will develop a battery monitoring system that allows the precise monitoring of battery state and ageing, as well as the optimal control and utilization of the traction battery. The focus of iCOMPOSE, the second project, lies on the development and implementation of the dual storage system. It includes the model-based management of energy and heat, as well as the development of a highly efficient bidirectional DC/DC converter in both hardware and software.

After the successful completion of the research cluster’s first project period, the partners will continue their cooperation in three working groups under the headings »comprehensive energy management«, »performance potential of vehicle electrification« und »central computing platform«.  

• Press Release
• iCOMPOSE homepage
• IMPROVE homepage

Official Kick-off for the BMUB-Funded Project iSAND Held in Dresden

Gaining an overview of all topics contained in the general population’s communication in times of crisis is the aim of project »internet Social Analyzer in Natural Disasters« (iSAND). Together with the software psychologists of Handspiel GmbH and the Katastrophenschutzamt Dresden (department for emergency management), a Fraunhofer IVI research team will test and demonstrate a system that expands the basis for decision making by information from social networks.

• Press release (in German)
• iSAND homepage

With the support of the Fraunhofer IVI, a student successfully carried out a project that made second place in the regional competition »Jugend forscht« (youth research program). The project was also awarded the »ZfP-Sonderpreis der DGZfP e. V.« (special prize of the German Society for Non-Destructive Testing). The award ceremony took place on February 26^th, 2015 in Dresden.

Student Florian Franke of the Martin Andersen Nexö high school in Dresden developed a method that simplifies the configuration of the Fraunhofer IVI’s video detection system. This system extracts data about the traffic conditions on a given road segment (e.g., density of traffic and speed) from video footage. The system configuration has to be done separately for each location. Especially for mobile applications, it is very helpful to automate the process to the greatest extent possible. Franke’s student work shows how parameterization suggestions can be derived from image analysis and thus makes an important contribution to the automation process.

In collaboration with the EBF Dresden GmbH, the Fraunhofer IVI conducted a feasibility study analyzing the possible operation of electric buses in the five Thuringian cities Erfurt, Gera, Gotha, Jena and Nordhausen, which currently all operate trams. The study had been commissioned by the Thüringer Ministeriums für Infrastruktur und Landwirtschaft (Thuringian Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Environment).

Within the study, one line in each city was chosen on grounds of its representative character and high public visibility. After the acquisition of all relevant parameters for each line, regular bus operation with diverse vehicle configurations was simulated and analyzed in detail using IVIsion, a simulation tool developed at the Fraunhofer IVI.    

The study takes into account technical specifications and schedule planning requirements demanded by the transport provider, as well as the given infrastructure, climate extremes and mean values, and also the state of the art in electric vehicles, energy storage systems and power electronics.

As a result, values representing the energy consumption based both on time and on distance, the saving potential of nitrogen oxide, fine particulates and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and the acquisition and operation costs were established.

The final event was held in Erfurt on March 3 with the participation of the Thuringian Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Environment and in the presence of the local transport providers, planning agencies, politicians and further guests.

• Link to the Press release (in German) (Thuringian Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Einvironment)

Since the beginning of February, 2015, The Fraunhofer IVI has owned an additional battery test stand with 12 channels.
As of that date, the range of services in the fields of battery characterization, modeling and state of charge (SoC) estimation has been expanded to include measurements in the 0 to 6 Volt range at currents of up to 300 Ampere and temperatures ranging from -40 °C to 180 °C.

Because all testing processes need to be configured individually, it is also possible to implement the testing and parameterization methods that were developed by the Fraunhofer IVI. This way, fundamental cell characteristics can be evaluated and detailed models can be developed for diverse cell chemistries.

• Fraunhofer IVI Testing Capacities and Equipment

Electromobility is increasingly spreading into new segments of vehicle engineering. After electric bicycles, cars and city buses, the development focus is now shifting to commercial vehicles. In this vehicle category, the potential for fundamentally new functions and further advantages generated by electromobility solutions is especially high. Both the providers and the citizens will benefit from the improvements.

In order to bridge the gap between conventional and electric propulsion systems in commercial vehicles, the Fraunhofer IVI is working on hybrid concepts. At the moment, a compact range extender for commercial vehicles called HY²PE²R is being put into operation on the institute’s own test stand for combustion engines and electrical engines. HY²PE²R expands a serial hybrid powertrain by an electrohydraulic power extraction system. For several application profiles, the use of a power extraction system helps to save up to 80 % of the fuel costs and lowers the vehicle’s noise emissions to a minimum.

• Fraunhofer System Research for Electromobility
• HY²PE²R Product Data Sheet (in German)