SAYS WHO: Germans ZEDU Car Is Most Environmentally Friendly Vehicle In The World

A German engineering company joined forces with the German Aerospace Centre in creating the world's most environmentally friendly car which claims to let out almost zero emissions.

The Zero Emission Drive Unit – Generation 1 (ZEDU-1) project which was part of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and the engineering company HWA has successfully completed all testings for the vehicle - dubbed as 'the car from the future'.

The electric car largely reduces the emission of particulate matter and microplastics caused by the abrasion of tyres and brakes, according to the DLR's official website.

The DLR claims that this makes the ZEDU-1 the most environmentally friendly road vehicle worldwide.

A prototype of the vehicle was first presented to the public on 28th September 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany.

After the presentation, a total of six million euros were reportedly invested in the promising project by the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism.

Tjark Siefkes, Director of the DLR Institute of Vehicle Concepts said during the presentation: "Our priority is human health and an environment without pollution.

"The ZEDU-1 project focuses on components that have received rather little attention so far and whose emissions are now gradually being regulated by the EU Commission through legislative measures – specifically tyres and brakes.

"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."

In the ZEDU-1, the classing braking system has been replaced by a first-ever multi-disc brake which can be submerged in an oil bath to pump out and clean any abrasions.

The ZEDU-1 also comes with an induction brake, which results in almost no abrasion until it comes to a standstill and uses magnetic fields to create a braking effect, according to the DLR.

Removing the brakes from the wheel and integrating them into the drivetrain creates the space for new technological approaches to significantly reduce tyre wear.

The ZEDU-1 has a closed wheel that is aerodynamically designed to create negative pressure when driving, which makes the tyre abrasion accumulate 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 a hoover.

That way, only purified air is released from the vehicle.

In the summer of 2022, the researchers investigated how well the new components of the ZEDU-1 prototype could reduce emissions of particulates and microplastics under real conditions.

The results of the first test drives have convinced the ZEDU team: "We can confirm that we can completely avoid brake abrasion.

"As for tyre wear, our measurements have shown that we can completely avoid it up to a speed of 50 kilometres per hour and reduce it by 70 to 80 per cent at higher speeds.

"The next step will be to further develop the technology together with industry in order to successfully start series production."

The public will be able to view the ZEDU-1 prototype in person at the ADAC GT Masters finale in the German town of Hockenheim from 21st-23rd October 2022.