The DRivE Research Project Launches Under the Leadership of FIR

At the beginning of May, the research project DRivE “Data-Based Route Planning in Road Freight Transport with Various Energy Supply Technologies” started. The goal is to promote the use of trucks with environmentally friendly drives and to facilitate the transition to ecologically efficient transport for companies. Under the leadership of FIR, the project team is developing the technical prerequisites for a data-based vehicle handover that enables ecologically efficient long-distance transport even with currently insufficient charging infrastructure and range.

(Aachen) The project runs from May 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024. In addition to FIR, the project team includes: PEM Chair of RWTH Aachen, Hammer Road-Cargo GmbH & Co. KG, Maintrans Int. Spedition GmbH, Park Your Truck GmbH, MANSIO GmbH, and ZeKju GmbH.

A truck with a conventional internal combustion engine emits about 111g of greenhouse gases per ton-kilometer. Together, heavy-duty transport is responsible for nearly 8% of European CO₂ emissions. To achieve the Paris climate goals, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by at least 65% by 2030. Therefore, the transport sector is facing a fundamental shift towards alternative drive technologies, as currently only 1.2% of the registered trucks in Germany are equipped with hydrogen, LNG, or electric drives.

Great Uncertainties for Many Freight Forwarders

The reason for this is the significant uncertainties that many freight forwarders still face regarding the transition of their fleets. High investments in new vehicle models are necessary, while the ranges of alternatively powered trucks are often lower than those with internal combustion engines. Additionally, the coverage of charging and refueling infrastructure is currently not sufficiently developed and is opaque. Freight forwarders face a high risk that their alternatively powered vehicles may break down or that drivers will have to take long detours to refuel or recharge. This results in a high additional time and cost burden compared to conventional trucks with internal combustion engines. Consequently, a “chicken-and-egg problem” arises: the demand for alternatively powered trucks remains low, which in turn slows down the expansion of infrastructure.

Real-Time Available Charging and Refueling Infrastructure

In the DRivE project, a technical solution is to be developed that strengthens ecologically sustainable long-distance freight transport even against the described background. A solution is being developed that integrates real-time available charging and refueling infrastructure with the vehicle condition and relevant destination and route data, such as topography. The data will be processed in a route planning system that suggests the optimal route for different drive types while considering other relevant factors such as driving and rest times or the respective parking situation. This approach aims to compensate for the current disadvantages of alternative drives and provide both freight forwarders and truck drivers, as well as infrastructure providers, with the necessary security and transparency for an efficient transition to hydrogen, LNG, or electric trucks.

Photo: © RWTH Aachen/FIR