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LONDON—November
9, 2012:
Munich, synonymous with German auto
culture, races toward the future of electric cars
Read more on Munich’s economic
development agency, City of Munich Department of Labor and Economic
Development
here:Munich for Work and Business
Munich, Germany and luxury car culture
are concepts so intertwined, it is difficult to imagine one without the
other. With Munich as the capital of the
Bavarian home of BMW and Audi, among many other automotive-sector leaders,
it is not surprising to discover that Munich is also leading the way in innovating on
electric car technology and is introducing consumer-ready electric cars to
the market.
Munich: Electronic Mobility Pioneer
Designated as a 2009-2011 model region for electronic vehicles by the
German government, Munich participated in
a federal funding initiative promoting and supporting electromobility. Some
of the programmes implemented as a part of the project included Munich public transport experimenting with
hybrid buses, and most notably, automakers BMW and Audi launching fleet
tests of their prototype BMW Mini E and Audi A1 e-tron vehicles.
The current BMW ActiveE is a demonstration electric car based on the BMW
1-series and the second after the Mini E to be developed under BMW’s
Project i. BMW is set to launch its first electric car, the long-awaited i3
Megacity Vehicle in 2013.
The Audi project puts the carmaker into partnership with Munich’s municipal utility company Stadtwerke
Mnchen (SWM) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) who have worked together to launch
20 Audi A1 e-tron car models onto Munich’s
roads. In addition to getting these electric cars on the road, the project
also dealt with data transfer and smartphone interface technology to make
the human-machine interface issues more seamless. As a part of the
infrastructure to support the scheme, E.ON and SWM have installed the
charging stations required to keep the electric auto fleet up and running.
(And the project would not be complete without ensuring that all
electricity supplying the fleet came from renewable sources!) With the data
gathered from the trials, the partners can make the case that it is not a
matter of if electromobility is adopted but when – and Munich is at the forefront of the mass-market
electromobility adoption efforts.
Munich’s Electronic, Environmentally
Friendly Future
The follow-up to being named a model region consists of a German federal
programme, Schaufenster Elektromobilitt (Electronic Vehicle Showcase) that
has selected Bavaria and Saxony as two of four focus regions, which will
receive 180 million EUR through 2015 for
continued development efforts. Munich,
meanwhile, will lead a project that aims to investigate and execute
programmes for adding electric transport options into local enterprises’
vehicle fleets.
-
Munich
has extensive electric car infrastructure(charging stations):
60 public charging space in Munich; the
municipal electricity supplier Stadtwerke Mnchen (SWM) offers electric car
users/owners an easy way to adopt and drive electric vehicles without
worry. -
Munich is an electronic car testing
grounds: Munich’s Technical University
of Munich (TUM) has delivered the MUTE
electric car prototype. MUTE is the test car for the BMW-Daimler and TUM
cooperative project Visio.M. MUTE aims to be a more affordable EV auto
without compromising safety, efficiency or comfort standards. TUM presented
their MUTE at the IAA international car exhibition in Frankfurt in 2011, sparking tremendous
interest. -
Munich is an RD electromobility hub:
Technical University of Munich (TUM),
Universitt der Bundeswehr: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and
Information Technology (EIT), Competency centre TV Sd on electric
vehicles offer major research and development efforts that keep Munich at the cutting edge of electromobility
innovations.
Munich’s Electric Car Revolution: The
Marriage of High-Tech Auto and ICT
As illustrated, the development of this technology is not done in a
vacuum – it is collaborative innovation at work. Auto and IT
business/commercial concerns, RD/university and public sector regulations
(going “green”) lead to the revolutionary developments in auto
engineering.
Munich has a bustling and diverse
high-tech sector that addresses all the needs of auto-driven development.
This includes information and communications specialities creating
application-based technologies that contribute to the sophistication of
auto development as a whole and in driving the coming electric car
revolution. One of the major drivers of Munich’s success is its status as a hub for
developing embedded systems that are at the heart of automotive development
(as well as playing major roles in aerospace and medical engineering
sectors). These systems range from ABS braking to airbag controls –
basically any computer system that is embedded to manage or control systems
within a vehicle. These embedded systems will become ever-more important as
cars become more sophisticated and automated. Munich is well-placed as a leader in embedded
ICT systems.
The Future of Driving: Munich Leads the
Way
With the cooperative partnerships and solid government support for
sustainable transportation, Munich is
creating the future of driving. Munich
will make its mark globally, just as it has done with traditional
combustion engine automobiles.
Munich will play host to the fourth
international fair for electric and hybrid mobility with eCarTec Munich 2012. From October
23-25 at the Munich Trade Fair Centre, eCarTec Munich 2012 will cover all the major
electromobility issues, from electric vehicles to energy storage to
“connected car” technology to a test area for “eCarLiveDrive”. Essentially,
the event will be a showcase for the entire electromobility value chain,
and Munich is the ideal and natural
host.