STILL conneXXt Nr. 02 English

27 OUTLOOK food and solving local public transport problems in the metropolis. The “Elektra” had a capacity of 25 passengers and a speed of up to 14 km/h. A new beacon project in electro-maritime ferry logistics: the ferry operating between the villages of Lavik and Oppedal on the Norwegian Sognefjord is a good example. A fully electric ferry crosses the fjord 34 times every day absolutely free of emissions. The capacity of the batteries of 1,000 kilowatt-hours is sufficient for regular trips between the two fjord communities. Electric drives are also good in the air. It has not only helped drones become masters of the airways, e. g. for individual deliveries into people’s front gardens. Major companies such as Airbus and Siemens are currently involved in a competition with high-tech devices to deliver the first electric aeroplanes suitable for every day and logistics tasks. Recently Gologan, a company based in Munich/Germany, flew an electric aeroplane, the “Elektra One” over the Alps: not once, but twice. Air travellers and logisticians like e-aircraft because of their simple operation and comfort. Electric motors are barely audible and basically free of vibrations. This is why electric aircraft will not be subject to take-off and landing bans on Sundays or public holidays. There is nothing to prevent them being used at night either. Because they do not need air to operate, unlike internal combustion engines, electric aircraft do not lose power as they gain height. In fact, the opposite is true. Film-type solar cells covering the wings will actually boost energy as they reach higher elevations. The ultimate challenge is the heavy centrepiece of every electric drive system: the battery. At the moment electric vehicles almost exclusively use lithium-ion batteries. They boast a high energy density, can be recharged many times and are free of any noticeable memory effect. Their heavy weight, their high price and their unsatisfactory charging capacity (today at least) are the challenges. The main profitability factor is the cost per kilowatt-hour of a battery – currently around 300 Euro. The threshold is thought to be 130 Euro. Once this value per kilo- watt-hour is achieved, they will be on equal footing with conventional drives. Mass production, as just commenced by Tesla in the desert near Nevada, is also a factor here. Whether on land, at sea or in the air: “We are experiencing the end of stupidity”, is future researcher Lars Thomsen’s description for the success of e-mobility in transport logistics. Picture: Shutterstock.com/Igor Karasi/Roi Brooks

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