Electric trucks and fuel cell vehicles are emerging technologies, whose current fleet management standards in terms of communication are not applicable to them.
This is the premise that led the Chair of “Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components” (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University to initiate the research project “DRivE”.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digitalisation, its aim is to develop a data-based route planning system for trucks that do not operate on diesel.
What results were achieved? Professor Achim Kampker, founder and director of the PEM Chair, details to Mobility Portal Europe:
“We have developed a method that enables the operation of eTrucks within logistics company processes.”
He emphasises: “It became clear that there is a significant lack of data standardisation across vehicles, infrastructure, and logistics.”
The diversity of standards and communication protocols between vehicles and the grid results in a fragmented ecosystem, further exacerbated by the fact that each manufacturer implements its own systems, making interoperability challenging.
In this context, the Chair introduced a software solution that enables the operation of electric trucks in the logistics process, even over long distances.
“However, the integration of data on the State of Charge (SoC) for vehicle battery charging posed a challenge,” notes Professor Kampker.
As he explains, this is because the corresponding interface was only recently defined, and current models have yet to incorporate it.
It is worth mentioning that the software, presented by the start-up MANSIO, combines real-time data from charging infrastructure, route characteristics, and vehicle conditions.
This allows for the calculation of optimal routes for electric trucks and vehicles with alternative technologies such as hydrogen.
According to Kampker, this solution is “crucial” for the transition to low-emission transport systems, given that the current range of eTrucks varies between 200 and 500 kilometres.
“There is a very high level of interest in methods for route planning and charging infrastructure booking in the transport and logistics sector,” asserts Professor Kampker.
The “DRivE” project offers the transport and logistics industry security in organising their journeys, eliminating “range anxiety”.
“Digital solutions can reach market maturity and bring about a profound transformation of road freight transport,” he emphasises.
Pilot phase: Achievements and challenges
The project was funded with 2.1 million euros under the mFUND innovation initiative.
During the pilot phase, significant progress was made, although not without challenges.
One of these was access to real-time vehicle data, such as battery charge status and energy consumption.
The second one was the integration of the algorithm into the existing transport management systems of transport companies.
“These technical obstacles can be overcome, enabling digital solutions such as the ‘DRivE’ algorithm to reach market maturity and cause a profound transformation in the sector,” states Professor Kampker.
The trials were conducted by the logistics company Hammer, using electric trucks to validate the effectiveness of the software in real-world conditions.
Among the project partners, notable participants include the Institute of Industrial Management (FIR) e.V. at Aachen University of Applied Sciences, which led the commercialisation efforts, and Park Your Truck GmbH, which plans charging station reservations.
Other participants included ZeKju GmbH, MANSIO GmbH, Hammer Road Cargo, and Maintrans Internationale Spedition.
Upon completion of the project, “the results should also serve the general public.”
