FloWeAF

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur, BMVI for short). Its aim is to contribute to the electrification of light commercial vehicles in municipal fleets (e.g. public transport service vehicles, waste collection vehicles, vehicles for the maintenance of public green spaces, and vehicles for postal and courier services). Aachen-based company StreetScooter, a manufacturer of electric light commercial vehicles, will develop and test up to five prototypes of light electric utility vehicles in municipal fleets.

StreetScooter is supported in this endeavour by the Wuppertal Institute, aixACCT (a maker of charging infrastructure) and 11 municipal administrations and municipal companies from North Rhine-Westphalia as associate partners (e.g. municipal administration and public transport companies).

The project is designing and building vehicle variants and a charging infrastructure. It is also testing these in the fleets of the associate partners and evaluating the results of testing. The vehicles and the charging infrastructure are being tailored to the typical fields of application and usage requirements of light commercial vehicles in municipal fleets. The Wuppertal Institute’s task is to find and collate the information needed to develop tailor-made vehicles and charging infrastructure. This involves conducting structured expert interviews and workshops with fleet managers and  users of light commercial vehicles in the fleets of the associate partners.

In addition, the Wuppertal Institute is carrying out a life cycle assessment of the use of electrically operated light commercial vehicles in municipal fleets. In the context of the contract research it is planned to conduct an empirical study on the requirement profiles and practical experience of the users by the Wuppertal Institute.