The filtration specialist Mann & Hummel based in Ludwigsburg, Germany has developed a particulate filter that will be presented together with the world's first emission neutral vehicle.

Deutsche Post DHL Group fields 5,000 StreetScooter electric vehicles, preventing considerable quantities of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide and also noise from entering the environment. But electric vehicles also release particulates into the atmosphere due to tire, brake and road abrasion and are therefore not totally free of emissions.

A StreetScooter vehicle similar to the ones to be fitted with MANN+HUMMEL filters. Source: MANN+HUMMELMann & Hummel is using its fine dust particulate filter to address the problem. Using the filter, the overall balance of the vehicle with regard to the release of particulates is now neutral. The filter modules will initially be fitted to five StreetScooter test vehicles, one in each of five German city centers. The test vehicles are completely neutral in terms of emissions under consideration of the overall balance during driving operations. This means they emit no CO2, NOx, noise or particulates.

The fine dust particulate filter is equipped with an active filter system. Blowers are fitted behind these filters that direct ambient air to the filters. As a result, even when the vehicle is at a standstill it is able to filter particulates from the ambient air.

The installation position of the filter on the underbody at the height of the rear axle is practical for two reasons. First, it does not use up any valuable loading space, and on the other hand, this is precisely the location where the highest concentration of particulates is to be found near to the vehicle. All particulate filters are equipped with sensors that allow the online monitoring of the efficiency of the systems. Here, Mann & Hummel records information on the filtration performance, the amount of cleaned air, the concentration of particulates and the weather data. The data is then sent to a cloud, visualized via a web interface and then evaluated by filtration experts.

"More and more people at our locations ranging from Ludwigsburg to Bangalore and Shanghai are suffering from the consequences of air pollution and who else apart from a filtration expert such as us is going to find a solution?" asked Alfred Weber, CEO at Mann & Hummel. “The coming together of the biggest logistics provider, the biggest producer of electric commercial vehicles in Germany and the global filtration expert has made driving and delivery operations possible in city centers which is neutral in terms of emissions," Weber added.