Chemnitz University of Technology Expands Sustainable Linkage Between University Sites
Electric vehicles are at disposal for errands and research projects – a study on efficient routing is currently conducted
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Electric mobility will link the university sites of Chemnitz University of Technology further on. Photo: Toni Niemeier
Nowadays, sustainable mobility requires alternative drive concepts as well as a needs-oriented linkage of various modes of transport. The economic and ecological design of mobility concepts are of particular importance, too. In the framework of the project “ECoMobility” at Chemnitz University of Technology, junior researchers aim to evaluate the practical implementation of a sustainable mobility concept for short and average routes on the example of Chemnitz University of Technology. The project is funded by the European Social Fund and targets not only technological aspects of the intermodal concept of electromobility but also the participants’ behavior. Objective is to charge the vehicles used at the university with a high proportion of renewable energies and to develop sustainable business models. Furthermore, incentives of energy-efficient driving will be identified and the usability of the mobility concept evaluated and improved.
Research on battery-electric mobility concepts is in focus
Sustainable mobility is already implemented by the employees of Chemnitz University of Technology in the everyday university life in many ways. Since October 2016, approx. 250 people used the intermodal mobility offer of the ECoMobility project and covered at large over 4,000 business trips via electric vehicles, pedelecs, or public transport. Through the University Presidents’ initiative, three of the used electric vehicles were purchased in order to further support the expansion of a sustainable and environment-conscious mobility between the university sites. Due to this investment, the electric vehicles can remain in use in the project until the end of the summer semester 2018. Among other things, the ECoMobility offer is to be complemented by an implementation of an energy-efficient routing and charge control to increase the proportion of renewable energy during the charging process of the vehicle. Furthermore, the electric vehicles and charging infrastructure are available for further research on battery-electric mobility concepts at Chemnitz University. More specifically: the employees of the university still have the opportunity to use the electric vehicles in combination with public transport for their business trips.
Test persons wanted for study
Currently, the ECoMobility project team is looking for interested employees, who, in the framework of a study on energy-efficient routing of electric vehicles, would take a one-off purely electric ride and would like to get to know the ECoMobility system. Participating in the two-hour driving study, which takes place outside working hours, is compensated with 40 euros.
Further information on the ECoMobility project and registration for the routing-display study are available from Synnöve Hochstein of the Professorship Ergonomics and Innovation Management, phone +49 371 531-32701, email synnoeve.hochstein@mb.tu-chemnitz.de
Mario Steinebach
20.03.2018
