The Fraunhofer ISI explores the many facets of electric mobility in a wide variety of different projects and has built up extensive expertise in this field over the years. In the Modellregionen Elektromobilität of the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital infrastructure (BMVI), the Fraunhofer ISI is conducting accompanying research on the topic of “user perspectives”. The objectives include analyzing customer wishes and identifying the relevant factors for a successful market introduction of electric mobility with regard to user acceptance.

Scenarios for one million electric vehicles in 2020 

Whether or not the goal of one million electric vehicles in Germany by 2020 will be reached is a much debated issue, not only in terms of market entry and market evolution. The Fraunhofer ISI showed possible future developments of electric mobility in its study Markthochlaufszenarien für Elektrofahrzeuge.The researchers analyzed which market share electric vehicles can be expected to have in Germany by 2020 by determining the economic potential of electric vehicles considering several thousand driving profiles of conventional vehicles as well as technical and economic data for different scenarios. Factors hindering the spread of electric vehicles were integrated such as their limited range and the restricted choice of model, as were supporting factors such as the willingness to pay more for an innovative technology. The study shows that, under optimistic assumptions, the target of one million electric vehicles by 2020 can be achieved without having to subsidize sales. Even under less optimistic framework conditions, between 150,000 and 200,000 electric vehicles are possible on Germany’s roads by 2020.

The potential of electric fleets is being studied in the Get eReady project specifically for the region around Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. The project’s aim is to identify success factors for the economic operation of electric fleet vehicles and to prove their effectiveness. The potentials for electrifying fleets are ascertained based on analyses and data surveys, and new fleet-spanning services and an infrastructure concept are developed, evaluated and implemented. The aim is also to link the fleets involved with other intermodal elements like car-sharing services and local public transport. High vehicle density, acceptance research and the development of business models are used to arrive at concrete proposals that can be applied to the mass market.

Study of energy storage systems for electric mobility 

Alongside customer acceptance, market evolution and electrifying fleets, the Fraunhofer ISI also examines technical factors of electric mobility. The project Energiespeicher-Monitoring für die Elektromobilität (EMOTOR) compiles roadmaps for relevant and promising energy storage technologies for plug-in hybrids and purely battery vehicles and their development up to 2030. The research includes comprehensive international monitoring and analysis of science and technology trends, industrial and economic developments, ecological assessments and political framework conditions. Among other things, the Fraunhofer ISI analyzed whether and to what extent Germany is on the way to becoming a lead market and supplier of energy storage systems for electric mobility. According to the analysis, Germany has clearly shortened the gap to the leading countries of Japan and Korea in the field of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, especially with regard to building knowledge in research institutions and industrial enterprises. But it has not yet succeeded in turning this knowledge into domestic battery cell production on a larger scale.

Professor Martin Wietschel, who coordinates the topic of electric mobility at the Fraunhofer ISI, will present the topic of “Energy Storage for Electric Mobility” at the E-Mobility Forum on 10 March 2015. As the head of the Business Unit Energy Economy and deputy head of the Competence Center Energy Technology and Energy Systems, he is one of many experts doing research in the field of electric mobility at the Fraunhofer ISI. Besides alternative energy sources and drives for transport which include electric mobility, his work also involves evaluating new energy technologies and modeling energy systems.

The E-Mobility Forum takes place on 10th and 11th March 2015 in Berlin. Apart from his presentation about where Germany stands with regard to energy storage for electric mobility in an international comparison, Martin Wietschel will also moderate the series of presentations on “Energy Storage” taking place on 10th March, which discuss the present and future situation of battery production in Germany. Further information (in German) is available at http://www.forum-elektromobilitaet.de/KONGRESS.

Another important event is the Symposium on Future Urban Mobility of the Innovation Cluster REM 2030 (Regional Eco Mobility), in which the Fraunhofer ISI plays a key role. The symposium takes place on 17th and 18th June 2015 in Karlsruhe and highlights the topic of mobility from a systemic perspective. Information and registration forms can be found at http://www.rem2030.de/rem2030-de/Symposium.php.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI analyzes the origins and impacts of innovations. We research the short- and long-term developments of innovation processes and the impacts of new technologies and services on society. On this basis, we are able to provide our clients from industry, politics and science with recommendations for action and perspectives for key decisions. Our expertise is founded on our scientific competence as well as an interdisciplinary and systemic research approach.