Current projects
FKFS is involved in many projects publicly funded by the federal or state governments, often in a lead role.
Here, you may find a small selection of our current projects.
U-Shift
AI2ISO
KI Data Tooling
ERIKA
RABus
InnoEKom
Project U-Shift - Modular vehicle concept for autonomous, driverless electric driving
Innovative modular vehicle concept for the change in urban mobility and logistics: As a consortium partner, FKFS is responsible, among other things, for the central electric drive components, the holistic energy and thermal management and the central driving function intelligence (motion control).
The project is funded by the Ministry of Economics, Labour and Housing in Baden-Württemberg as part of the Automotive Industry Strategy Dialogue.
Image: DLR
Contact
Ph.: +49 711 685-65701
Ph.: +49 711 685-65600
For more information on the project, see our U-Shift press box U-Shift (only availabe in German).
Project AI2ISO - Securing functions for autonomous driving
The aim of the AI2ISO project is to develop AI-based software to validate the reliability of autonomous vehicles in critical driving situations. The FKFS is consortium leader and develops and validates the driving function of an AI-based lane departure warning system within the AI2ISO project. For the validation real driving scenes are extended by virtual scenes (e.g. side, snow, sensor errors) by means of image manipulation.
The project is funded by the Ministry of Economics, Labour and Housing of Baden-Württemberg within the framework of the "Innovation Competition AI for SMEs".
Project AI Data Tooling
In the research project AI Data Tooling, tools and methods for the provision of data of all modalities (camera, lidar, radar, IMU, etc.) for AI-based functions are developed and investigated for the first time.
By the integrated consideration of real and synthetic data as well as the use of efficiency potentials in their combination, this project will for the first time develop a "data factory" as a complete solution for the training and validation of AI-based automated driving functions.
KI-DT is funded by the BMWi within the framework of the BMWi program "New Vehicle and System Technologies".
Contact
Dipl.-Ing. Christian Holzapfel
Ph.: +49 711 685-69461
Project ERIKA - Electromobility with redundant Intelligent Communication Architecture
FKFS is working on the topic of OFDM technology in charging interface and diagnostics in the ERIKA project funded by the BMWi.
FKFS determines and defines the functions, technical requirements, safety requirements, boundary conditions and the architectural design with regard to charging communication, thus ensuring integration into the future charging infrastructure in the context of electrified and automated driving.
In addition, FKFS develops concepts for holistic diagnosis of the new bus system.
Project RABus - Real Laboratory for Automated Bus Operation
Real labs are used to gather experience with digital innovations under real conditions. Here, stakeholders from research, industry, municipalities and operators in urban and rural areas as well as for passenger and freight transportation can test new technologies and business models.
As part of RABus, largely economical public transport operations with electrified and automated vehicles will be established in Mannheim and in Friedrichshafen by the end of 2023. To achieve this, the vehicles will be able to "float along" in regular traffic - at a minimum of 40 km/h in urban areas and at a minimum of 60 km/h in extra-urban areas. The scientific community is also intensively involved in the project through accompanying research on acceptance, cost-effectiveness and technical solutions.
The consortium consists of the Research Institute of Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines Stuttgart (FKFS), the Institute of Transportation at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Verkehrsbetrieb Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH, Verkehrsbetrieb Stadtverkehr Friedrichshafen GmbH with DB ZugBus Regionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee GmbH and the ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
Contact
Ph.: +49 711 685-68524
Project InnoEKom - Innovative total energy system for an electric municipal vehicle using the example of a compact sweeper
The aim of the InnoEKom funding project was to develop an innovative overall energy system for a municipal vehicle. This vehicle belongs to the category of "non-avoidable traffic", which means that the legally regulated maximum value for NOX and the associated driving ban for diesel-powered municipal vehicles will be an obstacle to their future work in inner-city areas. Cities are demanding locally emission-free vehicles. The transformation process driven by this requires a change in drive technology, away from diesel and toward electric drives. The challenge in the electrification of these vehicles lies in the complexity of the drive architecture and the associated energy flows.
As a representative example of municipal vehicles, a complex drive system of a compact sweeper from Aebi Schmidt was investigated. The electrification of this vehicle class is a new topic for Aebi Schmidt. This heavy vehicle has correspondingly high energy consumption, which means that optimization of the overall energy system is an important part of making this vehicle suitable for purely electric operation.
Contact
Ph.: +49 711 685-66690
Final Report Project InnoEKom (only availabe in German)