Focus applications, vehicle structure, powertrain & energy management

FFAE

FFAE
Efficient and sustainable road transport for people and goods.

Duration: 2022 to 2025

A key challenge for the mobility of the future and its necessary transformation lies in ensuring efficient and sustainable road transport for people and goods. The research activities must demonstrate new ways of achieving and implementing the agreed environmental and climate protection targets in a timely manner at a conceptual, methodological and technological level. Future concepts, methods and technologies to improve and safeguard the future of mobility can only be effectively realised if they are based on a systemic approach that takes into account the needs of road users, the transport system including infrastructure and relevant vehicle technologies as a whole.

Orientation and goals

The FFAE (Focus applications, vehicle structure, powertrain & energy management) project will answer research questions from the material, subsystem and system levels through to the vehicle level and its integration into the energy system, which are the subject of the Helmholtz Research Program Transport. This technological and methodological work thus opens up new possibilities for sustainably supporting the transformation of road transport in order to contribute to an emission-free, more efficient, resource-conserving and sustainable transport sector.

The work is grouped into focus applications and overarching 'lighthouses', thus providing an integrated system view and presentation in the Road Transport and Transport programme theme. In this context, 'focus applications' are addressed at the level of the FFAE project and the road transport programme, while 'lighthouses' are presented at the level of the transport programme.

The main research and development activities are addressed in the following areas:

  • Focus applications - (complete vehicle) concept
  • System-relevant vehicle technologies
  • Vehicle production
  • Infrastructure / sector coupling

including the required development methods. The potential of the overall systemic approach inherent in FFAE is ensured by assigning the methods and technologies to be developed to focus applications. These are, for example, a Long Haul Robot Truck, the U-Shift and the NGC People Mover. The objectives of the project are the conception, design, realisation and verification of resource-saving methods and system-relevant technologies for road transport vehicles. The project takes all phases of the product life cycle into account.

Project structure

The FFAE is funded by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt; DLR). It involves 12 DLR institutes and research facilities. The project is being led by the Institute of Vehicle Concepts. In order to achieve the overarching goals of the project whilst enabling an efficient and goal-orientated project structure, the project content has been divided into five thematically and functionally meaningful sub-projects (TP):

  • TP 1000: Vehicle / Body / Interior / Exterior
  • TP 2000: Powertrain / Storage
  • TP 3000: Material solutions
  • TP 4000: Ventilation / Comfort / Decontamination
  • TP 5000: Energy management / sector coupling

These areas contribute individually, but also through the project's overall holistic approach, to a comprehensive view of the challenges faced by future road transport vehicles.

Overview FFAE
An overview of the focus applications of the FFAE project.
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The project FFAE - Focus Applications, Vehicle Structure, Powertrain & Energy Management

    • Project type: Basic funding
    • Funding body: DLR Transport Programme Directorate
    • Duration: 2022 to 2025
    • Project budget: 32 million euros full costs
    • Lead institute: DLR Institute of Vehicle Concepts

Participating institutes and organisations

Institute of Vehicle Concepts

The Institute of Vehicle Concepts is a system-oriented institute, handling and coordinating research subjects related to traffic and transportation at the DLR location in Stuttgart.

Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology

The Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology is a leading research institute in the field of aerodynamics/aeroacoustics of airplanes and aerothermodynamics of space vehicles.

Institute of Structures and Design

The research activities in the Institute of Structures and Design are concerned with the development and implementation of composite materials with polymer and ceramic matrix in innovative, high performance structures.

Institute of Lightweight Systems

The DLR Institute of Lightweight Systems has the know-how for the design and realisation of adaptable, efficient composite structures and lightweight systems.

Institute of Materials Physics in Space

The Institute for Materials Physics in Space investigates the properties of melts and their solidification on all length scales using theoretical and experimental methods.

Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics

The Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics in Stuttgart, with further research facilities in Cologne, Ulm, Hamburg and Oldenburg conducts research in the field of efficient energy storage systems that conserve natural resources, and next generation energy conversion technologies.

Institute of Combustion Technology

The main topics of research and development activities in the Institute of Combustion Technology (VT) are technical combustion processes focused on combustion in gas turbines.

Institute of Transport Research

The subjects of mobility and transport affect people today more than ever. On the one hand, an effective transport system is an essential prerequisite for a prospering economy. On the other hand, mobility also allows individuals to actively participate in social life while offering them a high level of personal freedom.

Institute of Transportation Systems

In today’s economy and society mobility is of high significance. People want to arrive at their destinations comfortably and quickly. Goods have to be moved economically over long and short distances.

Institute of Networked Energy Systems

The DLR Institute of Networked Energy Systems develops technologies and concepts for future energy supply on the basis of renewable energies.

Institute of Materials Research

In the Institute of Materials Research we focus on the development of new materials and the associated process technologies for applications in the aerospace, energy, digitalisation and security sector.

Contact

Sebastian Sikora

Project coordination
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Vehicle Concepts
Pfaffenwaldring 38 - 40, 70569 Stuttgart