Where will the mobility journey take us?

TUV NORD Dialogue

Berlin: "We believe in electromobility. It will come and find its rightful niche in the market, for example in the megacities of this world." These were the words of Head of Mobility Klaus Kleinherbers at the TÜV NORD Dialogue this week in Berlin. And furthermore: "In addition to electromobility, alternative drive systems - and also the internal combustion engine - will offer some positive surprises."
Kleinherbers was opening an evening in the TÜV NORD offices in Berlin entitled "Inductive charging - the way forward for electromobility?"

During the event, alternatives to battery charging with cable and plug were discussed, as this method is considered complicated and inconvenient during rain, or when there is ice and snow. Cables that are hanging freely can also become an object of vandalism. However, with inductive charging, the vehicle is simply driven up to the charging station. In future it will also be possible to lay induction cables over long distances beneath the road surface, and it will be possible to charge the battery while driving. This will lead to completely new mobility concepts.

As Axel Richter from TÜV NORD Mobility says: "Automobile manufacturers and drivers place great importance on simple and safe charging, and inductive charging provides all the necessary conditions for this. This is why this safe technology - which has been known and used in industry for many years - is to be developed further. If the inductive process is safe for both people and the environment, and charging time can be reduced still further, it has a good chance on the market. The possibility of a choice of charging methods will increase acceptance of electromobility as a whole."

Inductive charging can be trialled at all locations where distances are not too great and fixed stations can be installed for charging - for example at taxi ranks and in car parks of local authority vehicle fleets.

Wolfgang Tiefensee, Member of the German Parliament and former Minister of Transport spoke in favour of trialling different technologies in the area of electromobility in parallel. "Let's be honest, we are all a tiny bit lazy. If we have to make one move too many, it is all too easy to reject a new technology. This is why induction is so very promising and interesting for electromobility."  Thomic Ruschmeyer from the German association of solar mobility, Bundesverband Solare Mobilität, has been using an electric car for 20 years: "Personally, I have not missed induction charging in 20 years of electromobility. But still, I might want it in the future!"

Participants in the TÜV NORD dialogue all agreed that mobility on the roads will change significantly with the mass use of electrically-driven cars. Because of the low range that they can offer at first, they will be used for short journeys, for example in towns and cities. Longer journeys and holidays will be undertaken with hybrid vehicles or vehicles with traditional petrol or diesel engines.

During the dialogue it was also announced that the working group of the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE) has drawn up initial standards for inductive charging.  This was welcomed as "a long-overdue guide for the research and development of this technology".

The event also offered the opportunity to try out electric vehicles (provided by Karabag, e8energy and WBT Datensystems). This meant that visitors were able to experience inductive charging for themselves (with the support of the supplier Vahle) and also traditional charging methods for battery-driven cars.

About TÜV NORD Mobilität
TÜV NORD Mobilität aims to help people enjoy driving while promoting road safety. Services offered to the public include vehicle inspections and driving tests, vehicle assessments and valuations. However, the company also offers advisory services to the automotive and automotive supply industries during product development, and provides consulting and marketing services to a wide variety of customers. A further aspect is the Medical and Psychological Institute, where doctors and psychologists assess drivers who have lost their licences in order to help them re-enter the world of driving. 
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Contact for this press release:
TÜV NORD Group
Sven Ulbrich Telephone +49 (0)511 986-1540, Fax -28998435
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