News and events

Charging stations can combine hydrogen production and energy storage

Published:30.08.21 — EPFL scientists have developed a new system that addresses two top priorities of the energy transition: clean hydrogen production and large-scale energy storage. Their technology could be particularly useful in transportation applications.

3D modelling of the Flon river helps engineers plan a new metro line

Published:13.08.21 — Lausanne will soon be getting a new metro line, the m3, but question marks remain over the best way to build the tunnel at the Flon station – already one of the busiest metro stations in French-speaking Switzerland. Leona Repnik, who just graduated from EPFL with an environmental engineering degree, studied this problematic for her Master’s thesis and put forth a feasible solution to this complex problem.

EPFL gets its first fast-charging station for electric vehicles

Published:05.08.21 — A team of EPFL engineers, in association with local businesses and authorities, are testing novel algorithms for the deployment of greener EV fast-charging stations.

EPFL now has its own Hyperloop test track

Published:23.07.21 — Engineers at EPFL’s DESL lab, working in association with EPFL spin-off Swisspod, have built a Hyperloop test track on the Lausanne campus. They will use the loop – a large vacuum tube for ultra-high-speed travel – to test a linear induction motor. The research is being funded by an Innosuisse grant.

Some urban commuters have no choice but to take their car

Published:06.07.21 — An EPFL study shows that suburban commuters do not necessarily take environmental concerns into account when deciding whether to use their car. Many car commuters – especially those with hectic schedules – feel they have no other choice. That’s especially true when it comes to working mothers.

Swiss Solar Boat competes with a revolutionary design

Published:28.05.21 — The Swiss Solar Boat is the first solar-powered boat designed entirely by EPFL students. Modeled after a Polynesian canoe, it will compete in the upcoming Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge and, for the first time, have a pilot on bord.

Which type of transportation user are you?

Published:27.05.21 — Sociologists at EPFL conducted a survey of the factors that prompt people to select one form of transportation over another, and then compared the results from cities across Switzerland.

3D detectors measure social distancing to help fight Covid-19

Published:07.05.21 — A team of EPFL researchers has repurposed an algorithm they initially developed for self-driving cars to help people comply with social distancing requirements. Their program, which works with a camera, can detect whether individuals are maintaining the right distance to prevent infection – without collecting any personal data. It could be useful for public transport systems, in shops and restaurants, and even in factories.

3D models to explore the future of urban digitization

Published:23.04.21 — A multidisciplinary Swiss team explored the future of urban digitization in its theoretical, technical, and legal dimensions by modeling the city of Sion with an innovative ScanVan.

Topological data analysis can help predict crashes

Published:06.04.21 — EPFL scientists, together with local startup L2F, have developed a robust model that can predict when a systemic shift is about to occur, based on methods from a branch of mathematics called topological data analysis.