Contactless energy transmission for electric vehicles - E|Road-Center as a new research location in Franconia

An important milestone for the research location Bamberg and the Nuremberg metropolitan region: Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger gave the ceremonial starting signal for the Fraunhofer IISB's E|Road Center. He handed over the funding decision to institute director Prof. Jörg Schulze on site at the Cleantech Innovation Park in Hallstadt. The new Fraunhofer IISB branch office for the development and industrialization of innovative technologies for sustainable mobility is being built here. “Contactless charging of electric vehicles opens up completely new possibilities. Charging can take place without losing any time while driving. This makes electric vehicles more flexible, more practical and more economical. We are supporting this pioneering project with around 7.5 million euros. In doing so, we are providing targeted impetus for the transformation of our automotive industry and strengthening Bavaria as a location for innovation in the long term,” said Aiwanger.

Contactless energy supply

The E|Road-Center is a unique research and development center for the electrification of road traffic infrastructure. The focus is on technologies for the contactless transfer of energy from the road directly into the electric vehicle, both when stationary and while driving. And not only on the road, the E|Road approach is also ideal for local environments such as port facilities and logistics centers. Here, container transporters or other freight vehicles will be increasingly autonomous on fixed routes in the future, with an optimized usage profile and economic advantage without long downtimes for charging. In addition to the development of contactless energy transfer systems, the E|Road Center is also an innovation laboratory for automation-oriented production processes. The hall areas of the Cleantech Innovation Park in the former Michelin plant offer ideal conditions for the construction of modular production facilities, test systems and test environments. This provides the perfect conditions for testing and further developing new technologies.

Electromobility meets production technology

The close cooperation between the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB with its main site in Erlangen and the Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems (FAPS) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) forms the basis for pioneering technology development. For 25 years, Fraunhofer IISB has been setting standards in the development of highly efficient power-electronic systems for electric drives, and the FAPS chair provides comprehensive expertise in production technology. “With the opening of the technology center, we are providing a decisive impetus for the future of electromobility and the transformation of the automotive industry. Through initiatives such as the E|Road Center, we are strengthening Bavaria as a location for innovation,” emphasizes Prof. Florian Risch, Head of Department for the E|Road Center at Fraunhofer IISB, ”and the unique combination of our expertise in semiconductor technology, power electronics and production technology gives us a real technological edge.” The first phase of the E|Road Center will run until November 2027. After its successful completion, the center is to be made permanent in order to drive forward the continuous development of climate-friendly mobility solutions. 
The Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy is supporting this lighthouse project for the sustainable transformation of the automotive industry.