Lower Saxony Research Center for Vehicle Technology

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lower Saxony Research Center for Vehicle Technology
logo
founding 2007
place Braunschweig
state Lower Saxony
country Germany
Website www.nff.tu-braunschweig.de
View of the new NFF research building

The Lower Saxony Automotive Research is a scientific center of the Technical University of Braunschweig and was established in December 2007 with the support of the Lower Saxony state government and the Volkswagen AG founded to serve the research region Braunschweig together with the NFF- member universities, the Technical University of Clausthal and the University of Hannover as Establish a top location in vehicle and traffic technology. This created a cooperation platform for joint research between industry and science, which received further impetus at the beginning of 2009 when the Wolfsburg location was opened in the MobileLifeCampus. The new NFF building at the Braunschweig research airport was inaugurated in February 2015. The NFF has developed the vision of sustainable mobility from the social, ecological and economic requirements for the development of vehicle-related technologies and usage models. The implementation of the research vision requires a broad and structurally anchored interdisciplinary collaboration from natural and engineering sciences in order to arrive at a holistic view and solution. The NFF therefore bundles the research activities of currently 19 professors from the Technical University of Braunschweig, the Leibniz University of Hanover, the Technical University of Clausthal and the German Aerospace Center in full membership. In addition, 24 associated members (including TU Braunschweig , LU Hannover , University of Fine Arts , Ostfalia , Fraunhofer IFAM , Wolfsburg AG ) contribute their research expertise on a project basis.

Research fields

NFF research vision

Projects and topics - aligned with the vision of "sustainable mobility" - are dealt with in five scientific research fields:

The research field “Intelligent Vehicle and Networked Driving” includes the development of methods and technologies for setting up new Car-2-X communication infrastructures, for environment recognition, self-representation and anticipation as a basis on the way from assisted to automated driving. The aim is to derive user-specific driving strategies to increase road safety and efficiency, driver acceptance, fulfillment of individual mobility requirements and improve the urban compatibility of future vehicles through cooperative approaches. The domains driver, vehicle and infrastructure are considered from the point of view of a pure system view, increasing automation and cooperative networking. With regard to human-technology interaction, the focus is on driver modeling and the objectification of comfort / safety perception and user behavior when handling assistance and automated driving functions. The research infrastructure is sustainably networked through the cross-cutting issues of “Functional Development”, “Security & Privacy Engineering” and “Safety Engineering”.

In the research field "Low-Emission Vehicle" , the overall efficiency of the vehicle life cycle (cradle to grave) consisting of the efficiency in vehicle production, the generation and provision of drive energy (well to tank) and vehicle efficiency in use (tank to wheel) through to vehicle recycling is researched . The holistic ecological view takes into account the potential of various optimization paths with regard to CO 2 emissions, energy efficiency and use of resources. Research focuses on increasing efficiency during the vehicle use phase, in addition to the consistent further development of conventional drives, as well as manufacturing processes and supply concepts for sustainable biofuels. The research and evaluation of new drive concepts from hybrid to fully electric drive topology as well as energy management and emission optimization are further key topics of the research field. In addition, networking and automation with regard to increasing vehicle and drive efficiency, drivability as well as comfort and safety are the focus of the research work.

Engine and component test bench

In the research field "Flexible Vehicle Concepts and Vehicle Production " , new vehicle concepts and production systems for modular, adaptable, lightweight and resource-saving vehicles are researched that adapt flexibly to the requirements of the markets. Methodological foundations for flexible and resource-saving overall vehicle concepts are developed. New production concepts and process chains are being researched for the flexible and economical production of vehicles. One aspect here is the development of integrated and large-scale production technologies at the overall vehicle and component level.

The cross-cutting research field “Mobility Management and Logistics” focuses on established and innovative mobility concepts that address classic mobility and logistics needs and combine them with new mobility-accompanying services. Building on changing mobility and logistics needs, innovative concepts for individualized and safe passenger and freight transport are developed in the form of services, services and business models that meet technical, ecological and economic requirements at any time and any place. On this basis, framework conditions for sustainable mobility are created. Concrete research projects include a. with market scenarios for electromobility, the development of economically and ecologically viable operator and usage concepts for electric vehicles in car-sharing and company fleets, future CO 2 legislation in the automotive industry as well as the reduction of CO 2 emissions and increased profitability in logistics.

The "electric mobility" is due to the new conditions demands for innovative research approaches in different fields. In order to implement the drive train, efficient electric drive units consisting of an electric machine and a power electronic control unit are required, which are designed and evaluated on the basis of system properties that are optimized for requirements. The storage of energy in the vehicle requires new materials and cell components as well as battery systems. New business models and operator concepts are required for the targeted integration of vehicles into the existing energy supply networks. The aim of the research field is therefore to advance fundamental research, but also to flank industrial partners on the way to becoming a leading provider and to develop Germany as a leading market for electromobility. The core topics of research in the field of electromobility at the NFF include the areas of electric drive, energy storage and infrastructure.

Cutting-edge research at the Braunschweig research airport

Dynamic overall driving simulator - DVRS

Since August 2014, the required scientific competencies from the participating institutes and working groups have been brought together in the new NFF building. The overall concept of this building, with a floor space of approx. 7500 m² and an investment volume of around € 60 million, implements a project house approach across institutes and universities in both the office and laboratory area, which enables project-oriented scientific cooperation between the research partners new quality. In the office area, over 150 jobs have been created for scientific employees from the member institutes. In the technical center and in the area of ​​the large test stands, there are various test facilities that can be used across institutes within the research program. This includes, among other things, a modular drive train test bench on which complete drive train systems can be represented as prototypes and the interaction of the components (electric motor, power electronics, battery, internal combustion engine) can be analyzed in terms of functionality and dynamics. For research projects in the field of electric drives, E-machine test stands for electric vehicle drives and a research laboratory for "power electronics" have been set up. The "Intelligent Vehicle Systems" research laboratory is being set up to research innovative systems in motor vehicles. Thanks to its innovative character, a full vehicle simulator allows research into active chassis and drive train control systems. The test facility is to be supplemented by an all-wheel roller dynamometer with air conditioning for realistic testing of the drive. Engine test benches and laboratories for fuel analysis are used to develop operating strategies and analyze relevant fuel parameters influencing the behavior of the internal combustion engine.

Web links