DRIVE-E-Academy 2017

DRIVE-E 2017

October 13, 2017, Nr. 91

Driven by the future
[Picture: Uli Regenscheit]

54 young scientists immerse themselves in electro-mobility for a week – four outstanding student projects were each distinguished with a DRIVE-E study prize.

Stuttgart/Berlin/Bonn – The topic of electro-mobility is more current than ever – and innovative concepts are in demand. With the award of the DRIVE-E study prizes yesterday evening in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Fraunhofer Institute distinguished four award winners for their excellent work on the topic of electro-mobility with prize money up to 6,000 Euros.

The annual DRIVE-E Academy offers students from all German universities the opportunity to gain an exclusive insight into the theory and practice of electro-mobility. The University of Stuttgart as on-site university partner as well as the visited companies in the region made an essential contribution towards the success with their commitment.

”I would like to cordially congratulate the DRIVE-E award winners. They are working towards sustainable mobility that treats resources efficiently, protects the environment and maintains our quality of life. With their enthusiasm and their expert know-how, Germany also has a good chance of playing such a prominent role tomorrow as it does today as car manufacturer and mobility service provider“, said Federal Research Minster Johanna Wanka on the occasion of the award ceremony.

Professor Dr Alexander Kurz, Fraunhofer Board Member for HR, Legal Matters and Utilisation was likewise impressed with the innovative projects: “The excellent works are an important sign for the future of electro-mobility in Germany. We are pleased to honour this commitment with the DRIVE-E- study prizes 2017. These works have great potential of making a contribution to solving technical problems for some of the most urgent questions of electro-mobility. This particularly refers to the efficiency of battery cells and systems and with this the increase in vehicle range as well as questions of an optimised charging infrastructure.“

Four innovative ideas for electro-mobility

The first place in the category of master theses goes to Bavaria. Alexander Rupp from the Technical University of Munich focussed on solid-state batteries in his thesis in which the otherwise customary liquid electrolyte is replaced by a solid electrolyte. In the category of project resp. bachelor theses the first place was also about everything to do with the solid-state battery. Célestine Singer, likewise a student at the Technical University of Munich, investigated if and how already existing technology chains for oxide ceramics can also be used for the manufacturing of solid-state batteries.

The second place in the category of master theses distinguished the work of Verena Müller from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, that developed solutions for a special economic process in which lithium-ion battery cells are initially charged and prepared for the further use. The jury also found the work of Oliver Fuhr from the Technical University of Dortmund fascinating; he won the second prize in the category of project resp. bachelor theses. He dealt with the question of how solar systems and vehicles can communicate with each other in order to enable remote charging.

DRIVE-E award winners
DRIVE-E award winners 2017 at Porsche Museum
DRIVE-E award winners 2017 at Porsche Museum

About the DRIVE-E-Program

DRIVE‐E was jointly initiated in 2009 by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and by the Fraunhofer Institute. With the DRIVE-E study prize the BMBF and Fraunhofer Institute distinguish excellent, innovate student projects on electro-mobility. Graduates and students from German polytechnics, universities and other institutes of higher education may apply with their scientific work.

Once again numerous students from the whole of Germany applied for already the eighth edition of the popular junior program by BMBF and the Fraunhofer Institute. After a successful start on Monday and Tuesday at the EVS30, the worldwide renowned congress for electro-mobility, the academy program took place over the following three days above all at the Research Institute for Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines from the University of Stuttgart. The young scientists got to know innovative start-ups from the field of electro-mobility and exchanged opinions with the speakers in lively discussions. In addition automobile manufacturers and suppliers from the region, such as Daimler, Bosch and Schaeffler gave unique insights into their innovative mobility concepts of the future. The students were given some practical experience during an informative excursion on the “Active Research Environment for the Next Generation of Automobiles (ARENA2036)“ and during an electro-drive event at Daimler.

In short: the DRIVE-E-Academy offers a unique mixture of theory and practice.

DRIVE-E-Academy 2017
DRIVE-E-Academy 2017

Contact person for the press:

Julia Knifka VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH Promotion of Young Researchers and Technical Information Electronic System/Electro-Mobility
On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Tel.: 0211/62 14-652 Fax: 0211/62 14-484 knifka@vdi.de 

Dr. Bernd Fischer Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Component Technology IISB Schottkystraße 10 91058 Erlangen Telephone +49 9131 761-106 Fax +49 9131 761-102 bernd.fischer@iisb.fraunhofer.de www.iisb.fraunhofer.de

Contact person for students:
Johanna Martens DRIVE-E-Contact Office  LoeschHundLiepold Kommunikation GmbH Tel.: 030/4000 652-16 Fax: 030/4000 652-20 drive-e@lhlk.de 

Photos as well as further information on the study award winners and their work can be found here: https://www.drive-e.org/drive-e-akademie-2/drive-e-2017/  

Contact

 

Hochschul­kommunikation

Keplerstraße 7, 70174 Stuttgart

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