Innovative technologies for hybrid vehicles

Ministry of Finance and Economics is providing 500,000 euros

The Ministry of Finance and Economics is providing 500,000 euros in funding for the research project "FastStorageBW4Motion" of the Fraunhofer Institute of Manufacturing Engineering and Automation. The aim of the project is to research and develop storage batteries for hybrid vehicles. "The future-oriented energy storage technology provides tremendous opportunities for the economy in Baden-Württemberg. Hybrid vehicles, in particular, have a huge market potential," explained Minister of Finance and Economics Nils Schmid.

In this project, the Fraunhofer Institute of Manufacturing Engineering and Automation, together with the Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology in Pfinztal (near Karlsruhe), the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research in Baden-Württemberg, the University of Stuttgart, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and other partners from industry, is examining how energy storage units for hybrid systems can be produced and put into practice. Electrochemical supercondensers are an alternative to traditional batteries and are currently amongst the most promising technologies. They are of significance for energy storage and power output in portable electronic devices and digital communications, and increasingly also for hybrid vehicles. In Baden-Württemberg, manufacturers of batteries and production plants, as well as users and research institutes, are established in a confined area. There are, therefore, good conditions for research and industrial production assuming a leading role in this future-oriented technology.

The long-term objective of the research project is series production in Baden-Württemberg.