NEW DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Traffic on our roads has increased year by year and it is of utmost importance here, more than in any other sector, to separate growth from environmental impact. Which technology can be beneficial and should be used in practice? PE INTERNATIONAL has provided answers to these questions for many years, with environmental analyses over the entire life cycle (Life Cycle Assessment, LCA) which assess mobility concepts, drive technologies and fuels. We draw up LCAs for single components, such as batteries, electric motors and fuel cells, but also for complete vehicles. These are for example new passenger car models and hybrid buses, including the ones used by the Stuttgart municipal transportation services (SSB). Currently, we use our experience and expertise for the "Electric Mobility Pilot Region" and "Showcase Region for Electric Mobility" programmes of the German federal government and carry out comprehensive analyses with respect to sustainability. We not only draw up LCAs for diesel hybrid buses, but also carry out acceptance analyses with passengers and operating companies. For the working groups "Innovative drive-trains", PE collects operating data on a daily basis with its SoFi webtool (fuel/power con-sumption, kilometrage, availability, etc.) for e-cars and hybrid buses used in the pilot regions. This monitoring allows precise analyses and provides answers to how new technologies prove in practice and to which extent they can reduce environmental impacts.