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

  • ITS Australia supports funding proposal for industry research
    October 27, 2016
    ITS Australia has welcomed the transport industry’s final application to the Federal Government’s US$498 million (AU$653 million) Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program, which has been established to solve industry identified challenges through outcome-focused collaborative research partnerships. ITS Australia, the national body for the intelligent transport systems (ITS) industry, is a consortium member of iMOVE CRC, one of seven shortlisted applicants. With a focus on developing substantial imp
    Read More
  • Substantial savings from smarter street lighting
    February 25, 2015
    As authorities strive to reduce expenditure and carbon emissions, Colin Sowman looks at some of the smart ways of managing street lighting while containing costs and maintaining safety. Street lighting can account for 40% of an authority’s energy consumption. So, faced with the need to reduce outgoings, some authorities are looking for smart ways of managing street lighting or even turning off swathes of street lights in the small hours. Back in 2008 the E-street Initiative report concluded that authorities
    Read More
  • IRF reveals global award winners
    November 7, 2022
    ITS projects among those which won IRF's 2022 Global Road Achievement Awards
    Read More
  • Inrix informs FHWA’s data improvements
    December 19, 2017
    Refinements in the data available from the US Federal Highway Administration will improve road management across America. David Crawford reports. In August 2017, the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued the first results from an upgraded version of its National Performance Management Research Data Set (NPMRDS). Developed to identify the locations and times of high congestion affecting traffic flows along America’s 259,000km (161,000 mile) national highway system, this is a key resource for sta
    Read More

Highlighted Content