2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
Sustainable mobility can only be achieved by networking different modes of transport. The research union is now developing approaches to solving how cars, rail and aviation can be brought together.
Traffic in Germany is growing and growing. Not only the auto industry has to adjust to this. Accordingly, in view of the finite nature of fossil fuels, networking of the various modes of transport will be necessary in the future - both on the road, on the rail and in the air.
In order to meet this challenge, the car manufacturer Daimler, the Federal Association of the German Aerospace Industry (BDLI) and Deutsche Bahn have joined forces in the research union to show ways to sustainable mobility. "One thing is clear: the means of transport of the future will be networked. We must not look at what is happening in the USA or China, we have to get it off the ground in Germany. This is the only way Germany can establish itself as a lead market," said Daimler Board Member for Development Thomas Weber at the presentation of the initiative this Friday in Berlin.
Closer collaboration on research
The topic of networking mobility also plays a decisive role for Deutsche Bahn, as Technical Director Volker Kefer said. In the future, it will primarily be the constant availability of the means of travel that will be decisive and no longer ownership, as the rail manager emphasized. Against the background of the "DB 2020" strategy, Deutsche Bahn has set itself the goal of "getting better on the ecological and sustainable side", as Kefer emphasized.
Deutsche Bahn has been active for a long time with a view to networking various modes of transport. Not only do they offer bicycles for rent nationwide ("Call a Bike"), but with their Flinkster offer they are also the largest car sharing provider in Germany. In the meantime, 215,000 registered users nationwide use Flinkster with its 2,800 cars in 140 cities - including 100 electric cars. However, the proportion of electric cars in the Flinkster fleet should be increased further in the future, as Kefer said. The subject of car sharing is now also becoming more and more interesting for car manufacturers. In addition to Car2Go from Daimler, BMW is also involved in this area with DriveNow.
But the representatives of the "Mobility" group want to work together more efficiently, especially in research and development, in order to benefit even more from the innovations of others. As BDL President Lutz Bertling emphasized, the aviation industry, for example, could also benefit from research into electromobility. It is true that electric engines are still a long way off, but it is conceivable, for example, to taxi to the runway using purely electric power instead of kerosene. Accordingly, close cooperation in basic research is required.
Make the most of data
Conversely, the automotive industry, for example, can learn a lot from the aviation industry with regard to radar-based systems. Just as there is an autopilot in an airplane, the auto industry is working on autonomous driving. But legislators are also asked about many issues, including autonomous driving. "In the USA there are states where autonomous driving is allowed, in Germany it is forbidden, here you can take your hands off the wheel for just ten seconds," said Weber, who demands the corresponding legal regulations.
The representatives of the "Mobility" group within the Research Union agree that the availability of data in particular is of crucial importance for networking the various modes of transport, be it to improve the flow of traffic with a view to the infrastructure or the problem-free booking of the Travel. On April 23, the research union, which is looking for possible solutions in the five fields of climate and energy, health and nutrition, mobility and security and communication, will present the federal government with initial results and recommendations for action. (AG / FM)
