German Aerospace Center & HWA develop cleanest concept yet

With the prototype Zero Emission Drive Unit – Generation 1 (ZEDU-1), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), together with the automotive company HWA, has developed and successfully tested “the world’s most environmentally friendly car in operation”.

The electric car is breaking new ground as it largely avoids the emission of fine dust and microplastics caused by the abrasion of brakes and tires. Moving the brake from the wheel housing to the inside of the vehicle creates the space for new technological approaches to significantly reduce tire wear. The closed-wheel housing characteristic of the ZEDU-1 is aerodynamically designed to create a vacuum when the vehicle is driven. As a result, tire abrasion collects at a specific point. A fan unit in the front of the vehicle extracts the particles there and sends them through a filter system – similar to that of a vacuum cleaner.

The vehicle has already undergone its first official tests, in which it managed to impress with the lack of tyre degradation and fine particle emissions. Next, the initiators want to collaborate with industry partners to commercialize the innovation.

“For us, the health of people and an unpolluted environment are paramount. The ZEDU-1 project focuses on components that have received rather little attention to date and whose emissions are now gradually being regulated by the EU Commission through legislative measures: namely brakes and tires,” said Prof. Tjark Siefkes, Director of the DLR Institute of Vehicle Concepts in Stuttgart on the occasion of the presentation of the prototype. He added “With the ZEDU-1 prototype presented today, we are demonstrating solutions that will enable us to be virtually emission-free on the road in the future. Our concept is highly efficient, extremely compact, suitable for everyday use and versatile. It can be directly transferred to future passenger cars and commercial vehicles.”

dlr.de (in German)