VW presents electric mobility research

Volkswagen, in cooperation with six project partners and the German Ministry of the Environment, is presenting the current status of the ‘Fleet study in electric mobility’ that was initiated in July 2008. The primary goal of the project, which runs until June 2012, is to consistently utilise renewable energy sources for electrically powered vehicles. Within the framework of the fleet study, Volkswagen is using a total of 20 of the latest generation Golf Variant TwinDrive cars as research vehicles.
April 23, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

RSS994 Volkswagen, in cooperation with six project partners and the German Ministry of the Environment, is presenting the current status of the ‘Fleet study in electric mobility’ that was initiated in July 2008. The primary goal of the project, which runs until June 2012, is to consistently utilise renewable energy sources for electrically powered vehicles. Within the framework of the fleet study, Volkswagen is using a total of 20 of the latest generation Golf Variant TwinDrive cars as research vehicles.

The plug-in hybrid drives operate with zero emissions in urban operation using an electric motor, enabling distances of up to 57 km on pure electrical power; an additional small internal combustion engine provides for a total range of about 900 km. According to Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen chairman, his company’s TwinDrive system “sets new standards and could, over the mid-term, develop into the ideal form of mobility for the vast majority of car drivers.”

The ‘Fleet study in electric mobility’ is now assuming a high level of importance in the wake of events in Japan and the German federal government’s mandatory exit from nuclear energy production. According to plans by the federal government, the number of pure electric vehicles will reach one million units in Germany alone by 2020. And these vehicles must be operated sustainably – from renewable energy sources – to attain significant progress in environmental protection.

“Electric mobility will be a century-long endeavour for Europe as a centre of automotive production and industry. Carmakers, suppliers, energy providers, scientists and politicians – everyone must step up to the plate,” says Winterkorn. In Germany, the ‘Fleet study in electric mobility’ is bringing together precisely these partners.


The fleet study is being conducted by six project partners from research and commerce under the leadership of Volkswagen. Representing the energy industry is energy provider E.ON. From the research area, the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft ISIT (representation of the battery systems and development of new battery chemistry), Heidelberger Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU; creating eco-balance), the 4572 German Aerospace Centre (DLR; analysis, forecasting traffic scenarios) and the Westphalian Wilhelm University in Münster (development of methodologies, laboratory testing of battery cells) are contributing their expertise and know-how to the fleet study.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • €10.9m grant kick-starts German AV project
    April 15, 2021
    Government-backed Kelride seeks to integrate autonomous vehicles into public transport
    Read More
  • Siemens signs up to UrbanTec China Conference
    April 10, 2012
    The organisers of the inaugural UrbanTec China Conference event, and held as part of the annual China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), from 28 May to 1 June, have announced that Siemens Infrastructure & Cities sector is participating as a full event sponsor. With special focus on the sustainable development of cities, the two-day conference is driven by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality. The inaugural UrbanTec China Conference brings together
    Read More
  • Electric and hybrid vehicles fall out of favour with corporate fleets in Europe
    April 20, 2012
    According to the Arval, the car rental division of French banking group, BNP Paribas, the interest of Spanish companies in adding electric vehicles to their fleet has dropped 90 per cent in the past year, with just two per cent of companies expecting to opt for this type of vehicle before 2014. In 2010, 21 per cent said they would chose them. Hybrid cars also lost favour, with a 47 per cent drop in the number of companies intending to use them in their fleet from 30 per cent in 2010 to 16 per cent currently
    Read More
  • Electric minicabs to debut in London
    October 25, 2012
    Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD and London green minicab company greentomatocars have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create London’s first fleet of all-electric minicabs. BYD will supply greentomatocars with 50 of its pure electric e6 models for trial use in the capital. The cars are expected to be available for customers to use from the second quarter of 2013.
    Read More

Highlighted Content