Smart, safe, efficient and climate-friendly

Road transport – with a future

In the future, there will still be a lot happening on the roads. Whether it is cars and trucks for individual mobility and freight transport or buses and trams as part of local public transport, the demand will remain high and the usage habits strong. For the foreseeable future, road transport will remain the dominant mode of transport. With e-scooters, micromobility and light electric vehicles, new means of transport have been and will be developed. However, one thing has to change – and this applies to old acquaintances as well as the newcomers on the asphalt – they all have to become more climate and environment friendly. At the same time, it is worth taking a look at other aspects and comparing them with the users’ requirements, which are also evolving. These include safety, but also efficiency, speed, economy and comfort.

As part of DLR’s Transport Research, a large number of institutes are working together on projects and topics to develop technologies for the road vehicles of the future. These include powertrain technologies and concepts for energy management, novel materials as well as construction and manufacturing methods for components, structures and entire car bodies, together with futuristic vehicle concepts. DLR is also investigating automated and networked driving with the appropriate assistance systems as well as the necessary infrastructure. In highly automated driving, humans, vehicles and infrastructure will increasingly interact and operate together in new, digital ways. DLR is investigating and helping to shape the necessary conditions for this today, in order to make this automotive megatrend a reality tomorrow.

Road transport as part of the overall mobility system

In order to shape the mobility of the future, DLR is pursuing an integrated approach. To this end, it combines technical developments for new road vehicles with work on infrastructure and solutions for more efficient and sustainable traffic management.

In this area, researchers also benefit from DLR’s interdisciplinary approach and the close exchange with the fields of energy, digitalisation, aeronautics and spaceflight. Unique large-scale research facilities and infrastructure elements at DLR – such as the component crash test facility , the climate-controlled, all-wheel roller dynamometer, special research vehicles, driving simulators and test fields  – enable testing and thus the rapid transfer of theoretical knowledge into practical applications.

Knowledge and innovations for the automotive industry

At the same time, DLR researchers work in national and international collaborations with companies in the automotive and component supply industries, conducting research together with or on behalf of them. In this way, DLR’s innovations support the emergence of new technologies for the transformation of the automotive industry and ensure the competitiveness and future viability of Germany as a prime location for business.

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Denise Nüssle

Editor
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Corporate Communications
Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart
Tel: +49 711 6862-8086

Magnus Lamp

Head of Directorate Transport
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne

Stefan Lessmann

German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Directorate Transport
Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne