Powerful premiere: the TU9 German Institutes of Technology are appearing together at HANNOVER MESSE for the first time this year with exhibits about current research projects. The focus: TU9 projects in the sustainable energy and electromobility fields – including an ultralight electric vehicle.

The innovative eCar was developed in the framework of the InEco® project by scientists from TU Dresden together with experts from Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen and ThyssenKrupp. In its search for a brand-new cutting-edge and sustainable vehicle design, the research team put the entire vehicle system under the microscope. The number of vehicle components was significantly reduced and lightweight construction in particular was brought into the picture. The result is a sporty four-seater that weighs only 900 kilograms with its battery. In comparison, VW’s eGolf weighs around 1,500 kilograms.

From design to component materials to passenger safety and drive technology, the researchers looked for innovative concepts. Focus features include new material combinations such as CFRP-steel hybrid compounds and integral structures for cost effective lightweight system construction. The front hatch of the prototype vehicle uses an ultralight sandwich structure, for example, while the battery is installed, crash-secure and close to the center of mass, in the center tunnel of the vehicle floor. The members of the TU9 Alliance are RWTH Aachen, TU Berlin, TU Braunschweig, TU Darmstadt, TU Dresden, Leibniz University Hannover, Karlsruhe Institute of Technologie, TU München and Stuttgart University.

to the Exhibitor Information