As part of the Automotive Industry Strategy Dialogue Baden-Württemberg, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing is providing around ten million euros in funding for the further development of the "U-Shift" vehicle concept at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In the concept, a vehicle consists of different modules that are assembled according to requirements.
With the help of initial funding from the Ministry of Economics, the project has already produced a first full-scale demonstration model ("mock-up") of the vehicle. Now the project idea of "U-Shift" is to be further developed and a prototype and realistic demonstrator of the vehicle is to be built. By the end of 2024, the researchers at the Institute of Vehicle Concepts in Stuttgart want to build the demonstrator together with partners from the Research Institute of Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines Stuttgart (FKFS), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Ulm. Based on this realistic prototype, possible business areas for companies, user experiences as well as operator and sharing models will be further investigated and discussed.
In the U-Shift project, FKFS plays a major role as well. FKFS is responsible for central electric drive components, the holistic energy and thermal management as well as the central driving function intelligence (motion control), among other things.
Please find more information from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing here.