Hasso-Plattner-Institut
Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Hasso Plattner
 

InterMobilyzer

Intermodal Mobility using In-Memory Databases

The usage of electric vehicles is especially attractive for people living in urban areas. Those people often only have to drive short distances and are able to charge their electric vehicles at home. Thus, the limited travel distance does not negatively affect the overall comfort of owning an electric vehicle vs. using a normal car. Nevertheless, in larger cities like Berlin, the range provided by one charging cycle might not be enough for one day. For drivers of electrical vehicles it is more complicated if they need to recharge their vehicle during a trip, as they may require up to multiple hours for recharging their vehicle. This project has built a prototype to make it more comfortable to drive an EV, even when recharging is required.

Intermobilyzer

The Intermobilyzer project aims to combine comfortable end-to-end navigation with a cost optimal usage of electric vehicles. The EV driver plans his trip inside the Intermobilizer App. The current state of charge of his vehicle is determined automatically. The trip is planned base on the chosen navigational route, current traffic and state of charge. Within the planning phase, it is determined that the EV driver has to travel to his destination and back.

Real-Time Availability

If the current charge of the EV does not allow the driver to drive to his destination and back, a real-time availability and price check of charging stations along the route, based on the estimated time of arrival, current state of charge and approximated overall trip costs is carried out. EV drivers are now able to pick a charging station based and adjust the estimated time of arrival based on their preferences.

Continue Your Intermodal Travel

After the charging station is reserved, the EV driver can decide how to continue his trip. Therefore, alternatives like car-sharing vehicles, public transportation and taxis are available within the prototype. The app automatically estimated the required time for travel and costs of the alternative transportation. The driver can then chose his alternative based on his personal preferences.

Integrated Billing

When the EV driver finished his planning, the overall costs are calculated and the driver can book his trip within the app. The application also enables the driver to evaluate his historic driving behavior and gives an historical cost overview. The solution was presented at CeBIT 2013.