As an electric car project here reaches its halfway point, researchers are exploring ideas such as a mobile application that tells drivers where the nearest charging station is or how much energy they need for their daily route.
They are also toying with the idea of getting taxi and logistics companies to adopt the electric vehicles.
Giving an update on the project, Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM) Asia managing director Markus Wachter told Today in an interview last week that the electric car being developed at the TUM-CREATE Centre for Electromobility - a research programme by TUM and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) - is on track to hit the roads next year. And in the last few months, researchers have also started a study of Singapore driver behaviour.
“How a driver brakes and accelerates varies from person to person, and this will determine how fast the energy in the battery is used,” said Dr Wachter.
Researchers are also looking at monitoring the “health status” and reliability issues of car batteries.
“If you buy a used car, how do you see how good the battery is or not,” Dr Wachter said. “Certification norms (here) are not set yet. The last thing you want with an electric car is that the battery starts burning,” he added.
On the idea of getting taxi and logistics companies to adopt the green vehicles, Dr Wachter said: “With delivery services, it’s easier - there’s a standard route every day, so you know the mileage, and they don’t drive at night. But with taxis, it’s a bit different, so instead of charging, we might be looking into battery swapping.”
Aside from developing research programmes on electromobility with its subsidiary TUM-CREATE, TUM Asia has been working with the Singapore Workforce Development Authority since 2009 to upgrade the skills of engineers.
“We cover chemistry, electrical engineering, logistics, aerospace - these are areas where TUM is excellent in and have strong industry links, and of course, areas which are important for Singapore,” said Dr Wachter.
Next year, TUM Asia will offer a master’s in Biomedical Imaging, a first for the university’s Asian campus. It has five other master’s programmes, including Microelectronics, which is a joint degree with NTU, and Industrial Chemistry, a joint degree with the National University of Singapore.
