New RWTH Research Training Group in Electric Mobility
On November 12, 2012, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced the establishment of the Research Training Group “Integrated Energy Supply Modules for On-Road Electric Mobility” at RWTH Aachen University. The reviewers and the DFG approval committee approved of the research proposal by the consortium of eleven participating RWTH institutions.
The use of an electric motor in combination with an internal combustion engine – a so-called range extender – has been discussed by experts for quite some time now, as it makes possible a large cruising range with comparatively small batteries. Research in this area aims at integrating the single components of such a hybrid powertrain into an optimized overall system. Research tasks include, for example, the design of the energy supply module and its thermal management system, new combustion processes, and control mechanisms for the overall system.
The research topics are addressed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from different institutes and departments under the direction of Professors Dirk Abel, Rik De Doncker, Lutz Eckstein, Kay Hameyer, Reinhold Kneer, Georg Jacobs, Stefan Pischinger, Heinz Pitsch, Dirk Uwe Sauer, Ulrich Simon, and Dr.-Ing. Julia Kowal.
Spokesperson for the Group is Professor Stefan Pischinger from the RWTH Institute for Combustion Engines (VKA). In the first funding period of four and a half years, approx. 4.5 million Euros will be used to support 24 doctoral dissertations.
The new Center for Mobile Propulsion (CMP), which is currently being completed on the RWTH Aachen Campus site and which also receives funding from the German Research Foundation, will provide the infrastructure for the research activities of the group.
DFG Research Training Groups
In order to promote early-career researchers in Germany, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has now decided to establish 23 new Research Training Groups. These groups provide doctoral candidates with the opportunity to take part in a top-level structured doctoral program and complete their dissertation in an exciting collaborative research environment.