January 21, 2025 | International insights and new opportunities for cooperation in the field of e-mobility
Comparatively low costs for both the electric buses and the charging infrastructure due to continuous competition, low energy prices and a huge potential for generating electric energy from renewable sources – thanks to these advantages, the additional costs for operating electric buses are much lower in Chile than they are in Germany. The South American country is successfully using these advantages and currently owns one of the world’s largest fleets of electric buses.
For many years now, Fraunhofer IVI has been designing concepts for the implementation of electric vehicle fleets and has transferred these concepts into practical application within numerous national and international projects. A partnership with Chile offers interesting opportunities for the institute to gain new and comprehensive insights into the operation of electrified public transport, and to carry out international research projects at the same time.
Prof. Dr. Thoralf Knote, head of the department Traffic Safety and Vehicle Automation, acts as Fraunhofer IVI’s bridge builder. Coordinated by Fraunhofer Chile Research, he traveled to Concepción, Chile, this past October to participate in the 2024 EMOV International Summit. In his introductory paper on »Concepts for electrifying logistics processes and charging systems for trucks and agricultural vehicles«, he gave an overview of the current research activities at Fraunhofer IVI and analyzed the opportunities and challenges for Chile in this context. The response was overwhelming: many new contacts to business and researchers were established, a journal interview with Revista Electricidad was conducted on the progress of e-mobility in Chile, and a return visit by Fraunhofer Research Chile at the institute’s headquarters in Dresden followed.
The foundations for exciting international partnerships have been laid. Collaboration with Chile offers excellent opportunities for Fraunhofer IVI to contribute their expertise to new applications in key areas such as the electrification of logistics processes, charging systems and buses.