Educating global engineers for sustainable energy : integrating systems thinking, mobility and applied learning

Abstract

The integration of e-mobility into the energy mix plays a crucial role in reducing CO₂ emissions, as transportation remains one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas output. By addressing urban mobility challenges and optimizing electric vehicle systems, this teaching concept links technical competence with the broader goal of sustainable energy transition. At both universities, HAW Hamburg and Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique in Dakar, an electric vehicle serves as a learning platform in engineering science. These vehicles enable students to conduct electrotechnical investigations and perform simulations of energy consumption and usage patterns in urban traffic. The e-mobility topic arose in the course of a three-year cooperation between HAW Hamburg and ESP Dakar entitled ‘Cooperation to Focus on Renewable Energy Education’. The approach aims to develop students’ systemic understanding of energy flows and conversion processes. Learning activities are aligned with higher cognitive levels according to Bloom’s taxonomy, supported by Biggs’ constructive alignment of objectives, methods, and assessments. Students work in interdependently on physical subsystems and a digital twin to analyse energy consumption and optimization strategies. Assessment combines documentation, presentations, and reflection to address cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domain. The concept has recently been implemented at HAW Hamburg under supervision of a lecturer from the Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique in Dakar, Senegal. The comparison reveals challenges in transferring learned skills to different infrastructural and cultural contexts. The research question is: How can engineering students be educated to develop a systemic understanding of energy processes and acquire the ability to independently optimize technical solutions for sustainable mobility?