IMPORTANCE OF THE LEAD MARKET "SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT" FOR EAST GERMANY
The automotive industry, which was - a little more than 20 years ago - in a deep crisis in the former East German states, is economically strong today and a flagship of the region. 180,000 people work here, generate sales of 35 billion euros and produce more than 650,000 cars a year.
BMW manufactures its electric models i3 and i8 in Leipzig. Here, approx. 100 BMW i3 and approx. 20 BMW i8 roll off the assembly line every day. Nearly 95 % including the 250 kilogramme battery of the BMW i3, which weighs only 1,200 kilogrammes, can be recycled again after use.
source: http://www.focus.de/auto/elektroauto
Regarding the sustainable mobility, the new federal states of Germany can play an important role not only as a production location, but also in the product development and the test of the technology in the so-called "Electromobility showcase". There is a great opportunity to consolidate and expand their market positon in the sector by innovative processes, which are developed in a dialogue between companies and research institutions.
Excellent examples are the projects between Vattenfall/BMW in Berlin-Brandenburg. In these projects, electric vehicles are to be tested for their suitability for daily use. The lead project e-Solcar4 is to be closely linked to the previous project.
source: www.freiepresse.de
In the field of electromobility, significant efforts were made in recent years in Saxony-Anhalt. This includes, among other things, the establishment of the IKAM Institute for Competence in Automobility in Magdeburg and Barleben, the model project "Harz.EE-mobility" as well as the Galileo Test Bed5 established at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburgfor the electromobile transportation and logistics research under the state initiative Applied Transportation Research / Galileo Transport.
Within the "Showcase Bavaria - Saxony ELECTROMOBILITYUNITES", roughly 40 projects with more than 100 participants were realised.
Against this background, another strategic combination of competencies and the development of cross-federal-state synergies in the intertwined areas of activity Road traffic/Automotive, Rail technology, smart transportation system, Aerospace as well as Logistics takes place in the course of the cluster development6.