Diversification Shapes the Drive Concepts of Tomorrow

For two days, experts discussed technologies and market trends relating to drive systems in cars and trucks at the 25th edition of the popular congress. With around 600 participants, the great importance of Dritev as a platform for exchanging experiences and opinions as well as for networking was once again clear.

Right at the beginning, conference chair Thomas Pfund, Schaeffler AG, outlined the expectations for the technology mix of tomorrow: “Hybrid vehicles and the range extender, which has almost been declared dead, are becoming more and more important,” he made clear, and thus met with broad approval among the speakers and guests.
 

Outstanding Technology at a Good Price

Another key message of the congress is that, despite all the challenges, the global importance of Germany and Europe as an automotive location remains as great as ever. Nevertheless, stagnating production figures and new competitors, particularly from China, must be confronted, continued Thomas Pfund: “We not only need outstanding technology, but also technology at good prices,” he said, formulating the challenge facing the industry.

Just how innovative manufacturers, suppliers, but also research and science are in the further development of drive technologies was reflected in the diversity and topicality of the 45 specialist presentations. The spectrum of topics ranged from pioneering test vehicles such as the Vision EQXX from Mercedes to new development methods that use artificial intelligence to achieve goals faster and more efficiently.
 

Faster Development with AI

In his presentation, René Honcak, ZF Friedrichshafen, described how virtual prototypes and digital twins can reduce development costs and thus enable decisive competitive advantages: “At the same time, virtual release improves product quality, as digital twins enable more precise validation and optimization in early development phases.”

Another approach for AI-supported simulations was presented by Dr. Martin Hofstetter, Head of E-mobility and Alternative Powertrains at the Institute of Automotive Engineering, Graz University of Technology: In this way, thousands and thousands of variants of a powertrain can be run through digitally in a short space of time and analyzed with regard to target variables such as costs, efficiency or sustainability. Dr. Hofstetter: “With AI-based development tools, we can make complexity manageable and achieve a new level of agility in powertrain development.”
 

Electrification is Progressing

The (partial) electrification of the drive and the associated new technological concepts naturally took up a large part of the presentation program. Dipl.-Ing. Christian Schmidt, AVL List, presented developments in the field of the e-axle, which lead to higher efficiency and thus longer ranges: “This drive concept has the potential to establish itself in various vehicle classes, especially through the combination of increased efficiency and cost savings.”
 

Drive Trends in Commercial Vehicles

In the commercial vehicle sector, too, all signs point to electrification in the long term. This was made clear at the 9th International VDI Symposium “Powertrain Solutions for Commercial Vehicles”, which took place at the same time and featured 18 hand-picked specialist presentations. Ulrich Zimmer, Traton Group, spoke clearly in favor of electrified drive concepts for trucks as well: "With electric drives, 75 percent of the energy used is for propulsion, with hydrogen engines it is only 25 percent, with diesel vehicles only 15 percent. So everything speaks for electric."
 

Leading Platform for Drive Technologies

In addition to the professional exchange on both days of the congress and as part of the popular “Dritev Summer Night”, the trade exhibition accompanying the congress once again attracted a great deal of interest. 65 international companies presented their latest technical solutions and products here. The Motor Show focused on innovative vehicle concepts and drive solutions.
 

26 International VDI Congress Dritev

Next year's edition of the International VDI Congress Dritev will take place on June 17 and 18, 2026 in Baden-Baden. Registration and program available at https://www.vdiconference.com/dritev/ or via the VDI Wissensforum Customer Center, P.O. Box 10 11 39, 40002 Dusseldorf, E-mail: wissensforum@vdi.de, phone: +49 211 6214-201, fax: -154.
 

Information From the World of Drives

Regular updates, interesting news and highlights from the world of drive technologies can be found at:  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dritev

About VDI Wissensforum GmbH

We have been a partner in continuing education for engineers and technical specialists and managers since 1957. We cover almost every technical discipline in more than 2,600 congresses, conferences, technical forums, courses and seminars every year. Soft skills and management round off our portfolio. Every year, more than 37,000 participants undergo training and further education with the help of our courses.

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