Alternative Propulsion Systems
HyWheelTank
Integration and Testing of a Wheel-Integrated Energy Storage Solution for Heavy Mobile Construction Machinery
Project Period: Jun 2026 – Oct 2028 | Project partners: LSE – Lightweight Structures Engineering GmbH, FAE Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Dresden University of Technology (Chair of Construction Machinery), Liebherr-Werk Bichonfshoven GmbH (associated)
The use of hydrogen as a zero-emission energy source for heavy construction machinery is becoming critically important in light of the urgent need to achieve climate goals. The central—and as yet insufficiently addressed—technical hurdle to the widespread adoption of hydrogen-powered drives is the integration of the necessary energy storage capacity directly into the vehicle. The high-pressure tanks required for storage are difficult to integrate into the existing and severely limited installation spaces of a modern construction machine. In the HyWheelTank research project, a novel, ring-shaped hydrogen storage solution is integrated directly into the wheels of a 24-metric-ton wheel loader. This innovative approach creates additional installation space, increases storage capacity, and thus enables longer operating times. The goal of the project is to develop and validate this solution under real-world operating conditions. This will not only significantly advance the market readiness of hydrogen-powered construction machinery but also demonstrate the concept’s transferability to other heavy-duty vehicles, such as agricultural and forestry machinery.
Funded by:
HyLin-AI
Development of a lightweight structural design concept for narrow-gauge multiple-unit trains, optimized for hydrogen operation and featuring an AI-controlled energy management system
Project period: May 2025 – Dec 2027 | Project partners: Lakowa Kunststoffverarbeitung & -bearbeitung GmbH, Chemnitz University of Technology – Chair of Alternative Vehicle Propulsion Systems, HeiterBlick GmbH (associated)
Narrow-gauge railways in Germany, which are used for both local public transit and tourism, require new rolling stock that meets today’s modern technical and comfort standards in order to expand capacity in a targeted manner. Currently, diesel multiple units or steam locomotives are in use; alternative propulsion systems are not currently being considered. If built conventionally, these vehicles would be too heavy. No cross-vehicle solutions are available to achieve the necessary lightweight construction. Therefore, this project is researching novel modular lightweight car bodies for narrow-gauge railways using the design principles of differential and integral construction. In terms of structure, materials used, and architecture, they are optimally adapted to alternative propulsion systems.
Furthermore, to increase range, an AI-based energy management system for the entire vehicle is being developed, which uses a model-predictive controller to ensure energy-optimized operating and driving strategies for real-time operation.
Funded by:
HyTraGen
Hydrogen Tram for the Next Generation - Development of a Hydrogen-Powered Tram Prototype
Project Period: Dec 2023– Nov 2026 | Project partners: HeiterBlick GmbH, Flexiva Automation & Robotik GmbH, Chemnitz University of Technology, Görlitzer Verkehrsbetriebe GmbH (associated), Leipziger Verkehrsbetrieb GmbH (associated), CVAG – Chemnitzer Verkehrs – Aktiengesellschaft (associated)
Together with the project partners, this Saxon consortium is developing and building Europe’s first hydrogen-powered tram. Testing of the tram is being conducted in collaboration with Görlitzer Verkehrsbetriebe (GVB). The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the “National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Phase 2 (NIP II).”
As a continuation of the “H2-TRAM” R&D project, the research findings and innovative system solutions are being incorporated into a prototype test vehicle. The prototype will be manufactured in Leipzig by HeiterBlick GmbH and subsequently tested in the GVB’s operational environment. In addition to validating the technical solutions and the functionality of the entire vehicle, the project will also lay the groundwork for making it easier to certify fuel cell trams in the future and to manufacture them more cost-effectively.
The hydrogen tram is not intended to compete directly with existing trolleybuses, but rather to serve as an alternative for new routes that, for economic, environmental, and urban planning reasons, cannot be equipped with overhead lines. Another positive aspect is the elimination of high infrastructure costs for the installation and maintenance of overhead lines. In a holistic hydrogen concept involving a wide range of different consumers, the cities using this system would also gain an additional energy supply system that is not grid-dependent and can store excess electrical energy in the form of hydrogen.
Funded by:
HZwo: RAHD
Hydrogen Storage and Electric Drive Solution for Heavy Fuel-Cell-Powered Agricultural and Forestry Vehicles
Project Period: Sep 2023–Aug 2026 | Project partners: LSE-Lightweight Structures Engineering GmbH, EAAT GmbH Chemnitz, Chemnitz University of Technology, Agraset Agrargenossenschaft eG (associated), EIDAM Landtechnik GmbH (associated)
Current applications for hydrogen propulsion solutions are limited to traditional vehicle types, such as trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles. Agricultural vehicles and machinery receive little attention in the current discussion. Existing vehicle fleets are currently powered almost exclusively by fossil fuels, mostly diesel. A medium-sized farm with 12,000 kW of drive power in its fleet has an annual fuel consumption of around 500,000 liters. It is clear that action must be taken in this sector as well to achieve future climate goals. The research project therefore focuses on developing an innovative hydrogen storage and propulsion solution for use in agricultural vehicles. This should enable BSZ vehicles to meet performance and range targets comparable to those of diesel vehicles. The innovative solution will be fundamentally designed and integrated into an overall vehicle concept. Furthermore, the functionality will be validated by building a scaled research model.
Supported by:
Heat2Comfort - Completed Research Project
Waste Heat-Based Air Conditioning for Fuel Cell Trains
Project Period: Mar 2021 - Feb 2024 | Project partners: WätaS – Wärmetauscher Sachsen GmbH, ILK – Institut für Luft– und Kältetechnik Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research, DB Systemtechnik GmbH (associated), EAW – Energieanlagenbau GmbH Westenfeld (associated)
The central approach for waste heat utilization and energy savings is the thermal activation of components inside the vehicle to use their radiation temperature to create thermal comfort. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive overheating and overcooling of the supply air. Other key research areas include energy-optimized heat transfer from the fuel cell to the interior during heating operation and a novel control concept, which utilizes a wide range of environmental data and simultaneously features a significantly higher number of control variables than current control algorithms. Machine learning is intended to enable continuous learning and optimization of the control software during operation.
H2-Tram - Completed Research Project
Innovative Fuel Cell-Powered Trams
Project Period: Dec 2020 – Feb 2023 | Project partners: HeiterBlick GmbH, Flexiva Automation & Robotik GmbH, CVAG – Chemnitzer Verkehrs – Aktiengesellschaft (associated), AVG - Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft mbH (associated)
Through the use of these innovative fuel cell – trams, transit authorities will be able to connect new urban areas sustainably and without emissions using rail vehicles, independent of existing traction power infrastructure, and integrate them into existing transit hubs or future mobility nodes.
Funded by:
Heat2Power – completed research project
"Efficiency increase and waste heat - refinement for fuel cells in rail vehicles"
Project period: Dec 2019 - Oct 2022 | collaborative partners: WÄTAS and ILK Dresden
In the "Heat2Power" project, possibilities for minimizing the energy requirements of air-conditioning systems while maintaining consistently good passenger comfort are to be researched. At the same time, the connection to the fuel cell waste heat will be examined in order to identify potential savings and to evaluate structural adaptations (e.g. additional weight, space requirements, etc.). Additional thermal inertias and decentralized demand-based room conditioning will be investigated.
An essential approach is the refinement of the fuel cell waste heat by means of an energy conversion system into electrical power, in order to supply the accruing thermal power for the most universal use possible on the vehicle, independent of the respective vehicle air conditioning demand. Furthermore, the primary energy requirement for vehicle air conditioning is to be significantly reduced by coupling the fluctuating heat output of the fuel cell with the interior heating using a decentralized system of heat storage units and heat exchangers.
The project was funded by: ERDF and SAB
Eco-CC – Completed Research Project
Development of a Cost-Effective and Reliable Measurement and Control Concept for Automotive Fuel Cell Systems
Project Period: Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | Project partners: Continental, LSA, TU Chemnitz, Fraunhofer IWU
As part of the HZwo initiative, the EcoCC project focuses on developing a cost-effective and reliable measurement and control concept for low-temperature PEM fuel cells in automotive applications. Combining data from existing, conventional sensors with dynamic control models enables improved system health monitoring, eliminating the need to develop new and expensive hardware. In addition, such a mathematical and software-based approach offers the possibility of detecting errors or reconstructing missing data from other measurements. This could potentially even allow existing sensors to be replaced by virtual ones. Professor Streif, head of the Chair of Control Engineering and System Dynamics, therefore sees “enormous potential in control engineering methods and state estimation for cost savings as well as safer and more efficient operation of modern fuel cell systems.”
The project was funded by: EFRE and SAB
