Energy and Transport
Duration: January 2018 until December 2021
Funded by: German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Project Participants: Institut für Fahrzeugkonzepte Institut für Technische Thermodynamik Institut für Verkehrsforschung Institut für Verkehrssystemtechnik
Project Manager at the Institute of Networked Energy Systems: Carsten Hoyer-Klick
Project Description: In order to achieve Germany's environmental goals, major changes in the energy and transport sectors are required. In the energy sector, the switch to renewable electricity has already begun and significant progress has been made, although further development of renewables presents challenges. In contrast, the transport sector - especially in road transportation - has only achieved marginal changes in the areas of alternative vehicles and energy sources to date.
As a result of the necessary changes in the energy and transport sectors, the coupling of these sectors over the next years and decades is essential. The decarbonization of transport, for example by means of electrification, will have consequences for the energy sector. In addition, increasing the total electricity demand due to electrifying transport brings new changes for the energy sector. Opportunities to store electricity surplus from fluctuating renewable sources in electric vehicles or to convert it into vehicle fuels are potential opportunities. Although such approaches appear technologically feasible, it is largely unclear whether and under what conditions they are realistic on a large scale when the behavior of vehicle users is taken into account.
The aim of the project "Energy and Transport" is to quantify and analyze the interactions between the transport system and energy production. In the project, developments for the German transport and energy system will be studied and evaluated through new simulation models. These developments will serve to illustrate the means of achieving overarching decarbonization for road transport. The project will take into account alternative powertrains and renewable fuels from today's perspective.
The project will develop a comprehensive approach to determine the impact of sector coupling with the help of new models to connect these sectors. In addition, the interactions between the energy requirements for transport and the supply of energy will be better understood. The objective of EVer is the identification of actions necessary to achieve environmental goals within the transport sector. These vary from fleet conversion to charging behavior. These actions will be developed in the form of a roadmap. To do this, EVer will develop an innovative coupled model for the energy and transport sectors.