E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter 01/25

It has already been three months since the last E-VOLVE Cluster newsletter so it was time for yet another issue.

Don’t miss out on a very long report about the ToSVE event hosted by PoliTO, a recap of our cluster webinar back in November and the introduction of a new cluster member: CliMAFlux.

Enjoy this edition of the newsletter and we hope you have a fantastic start into the new year! 

Read the full edition of our newsletter HERE!

ToSVE – Towards the Sustainable Vehicle Era 2024

We are looking back to a very successful ToSVE event that took place last November. The event was held at the Politecnico di Torino, attracted over 250 participants and more than 100 businesses.

The agenda included focused sessions on three pivotal themes: Trends in Sustainable Vehicles, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles, and Emerging Technologies and Components. 

Watch the video recap to get an exclusive insight.

A warm welcome to our newest Cluster Member: CliMAFlux

One last time this year it is our pleasure to welcome a new cluster member and shortly introduce them to you:

CliMAFlux

CIRCULAR DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES FOR NEXT-GENERATION HIGHLY-EFFICIENT INTEGRATED AXIAL FLUX MOTOR DRIVES FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Electric traction machines are at the heart of the transition towards a zero tailpipe emission road mobility landscape, with their performance and cost directly impacting the attainable market penetration of electric vehicles. To accelerate the transition, next-generation electric motors need to push the existing boundaries in terms of efficiency, power density, manufacturability, cost, and environmental sustainability. A reduced and more circular use of rare earth resources is critical to reinforce Europe’s strategic autonomy and establish a more economically sustainable value chain. Recently developed axial flux motor technology based on a yokeless and segmented armature topology yields promising prospects in all these areas, significantly reducing the required amount of rare earth magnet material by design, and combining this with unmatched power density compared to state-of-the-art radial flux machines.


CliMAFlux will develop novel concepts (e.g. in terms of excitation and cooling) for more performant (e.g. >35% energy loss decrease in driving cycles) axial flux motors, thus reducing the need for rare earth materials by 60%, leveraging high-fidelity multiphysics models (e.g. electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and at the system level) and digital twins. Innovative designs and manufacturing processes will be proposed to:

(i) increase the power density to >23 kW/l, through novel materials and improved thermal behaviour;

(ii) enhance circularity over the lifetime (including >70% recyclability at the end of life); and

(iii) ensure cost competitiveness (50% cost reduction) at mass production level (reaching ~€5/kW).

The CliMAFlux on-board motors are integrated with the power electronics and mechanical transmission systems. The resulting electric drives will be managed by robust predictive controllers based on the CliMAFlux digital twins, including artificial intelligence (AI) prediction models, which will also facilitate novel functionalities in vehicle (sub)systems, hereby exploiting the full capability of the complete electrified drivetrain. The individual motor (with focus on approx. 90 kW continuous power) and integrated drive system will be benchmarked over a wider range of vehicles, in terms of both performance and environmental impact, on virtual (X-in-the-Loop with digital twin) and hardware test platforms up to TRL7, i.e. on a research electric vehicle already available at the consortium participants. To achieve these ambitious targets, CliMAFlux brings together the competences of 4 academic partners, 1 industry-oriented RTO, 3 SMEs and 1 LE with dedicated R&D and production facilities in the fields of motor and transmission development, power electronics integration, electrified vehicle systems, automotive design, and life cycle assessment and costing aspects.

In summary, CliMAFlux will establish new knowledge and industrial leadership in key digital, enabling and emerging technologies, and, therefore, directly contribute to Europe’s Key Strategic Orientations C and A as well as actively support the transformation towards zero tailpipe emission road mobility (2Zero).

To learn more about the project, follow all activities on LinkedIn and visit the website.

HiPE newsletter released

The 𝙃𝙞𝙋𝙀 project released their second project newsletter, in which you can find the following content:

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 – 𝑯𝒊𝑷𝑬 aims to make electric vehicles more accessible, supporting cleaner cities, energy independence, and a stronger European innovation ecosystem.

𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 – From system design to advanced materials, we’re developing PE solutions that optimize energy efficiency, reduce component size and weight, and enhance reliability—all critical for the EVs of tomorrow.

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Across our work packages, HiPE is advancing cutting-edge R&D, including simulation, digital twins, and thermal management solutions, driving the next generation of sustainable mobility.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 – Our team has been actively engaging at major industry events, sharing insights, and building momentum with the E-VOLVE Cluster to accelerate EV technology adoption.

Find the full newsletter here!

E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter 10/24

Summer is over, the leaves have turned colours and the cluster projects could not be busier! We have a brand-new newsletter for you with lots of news about our co-operation with 2ZERO, some great papers and prototypes that have been released in the projects and many fun events we have attended. Additionally, we are organizing a new E-VOLVE Cluster webinar this November and invite you to save the date. 

We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter as much as we do, because we could not be more excited for the next few months! Read the full edition of our newsletter HERE.

E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter 06/24

Here it is: the next edition of the E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter. We are proud to introduce two new members and have had many projects at the TRA 2024. Also, the cluster member RHODaS has released two deliverables. Have fun with this issue and we hope you have a nice and relaxing summer!

May we introduce … the MINDED project

MINDED addresses in full the “expected outcome” and “scope” of the HORIZON-CL5-2023-D5-01-01 topic by delivering a battery electric IVECO eDaily minibus with 20% improved range at 0°C against the 2023 baseline. This is achieved by introducing a highly efficient heating system based on infrared (IR) panels, controlled by a novel user-centric HMI, embedding an optimised thermal and energy management strategy (TEMS) for improved comfort and reduced energy consumption. These activities are complemented with the demonstration of a new HVAC unit based on a heat pump, capable of reducing the vehicle’s cooling energy requirements by 15% against the baseline, while leveraging the efforts made on the HMI and TEMS. To do so, MINDED encompasses 10 Technology Bricks, organised in three AREAs:

  • AREA I: Heating and Cooling System, including (1) IR heating panels, (2) thermal cabin insulation, (3) a thermal mannequin for evaluating passenger comfort, (4) the optimised HVAC unit featuring an e-compressor with gas bearings, (5) the required ECUs, and (6) the user-centric HMI.
  • AREA II: Digital Twin and Control Strategy, including (7) a new digital twin model, (8) an AI-based algorithm for predicting driving behaviour, (9) the TEMS, and (10) a comfort control strategy for determining optimal settings.
  • AREA III: Demonstration and Performance Evaluation, demonstrating the IVECO eDaily minibus on the dynamometer at TRL7 and the HVAC unit on the ThermoLab testbed at TRL6.

Beyond the range improvement, MINDED demonstrates a cost reduction of 5% at vehicle level from simplified systems’ installation and reduced battery requirements, and a development time reduction of 30% achieved using the digital twin model and AI. The project generates its primary impact in the bus and minibus vehicle segments, with the MINDED Technology Bricks expected to equip 75% of the IVECO bus fleet by 2035, while delivering technologies exploitable in the medium/heavy commercial electric vehicles market.

Welcome to the Cluster! We’re very much looking forward to the cooperation.

WELCOME to the Cluster: SmartCorners

Started on first of January 2024, SmartCorners is one of the newest members to the E-VOLVE cluster we are happy to welcome and present. 

SmartCorners: USER-CENTRED OPTIMAL DESIGN OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE WITH SMART E-CORNERS

In-wheel motors (IWMs) have become a mature technology that is well-suited for new user-centric electric vehicles (EVs). IWMs can be integrated in multi-functional and controllable modules consisting of the electric powertrain, friction brake and suspension/steering actuation. By combining several vehicle functionalities in a compact solution, the modules offer substantial opportunities to enhance the design and the operation of EVs. This is the starting point of the SmartCorners project. Using machine learning and AI, an adaptive multilayer control strategy will be implemented with historical and current data from the vehicle, its environment, and users, including relevant EV fleets. This approach will pave the way toward software-defined vehicles, ena-bling rightsizing, holistic optimisation, innovative fault mitigation and actuator allocation strategies as well as more efficient, adaptive, predictive, and personalised system operation. 

SmartCorners will bring a so far unexplored authority level over: 
i) vehicle design, through skateboard-like chassis configurations; 
ii) energy management aspects, covering pre-conditioning and predictive thermal management during EV operation; 
iii) comfort and functional aspects, in terms of user-centric cabin thermal management, and pre-emptive vehicle body control; and 
iv) dismantling process and recycling of the vehicle. 

The development and industrialization of the project outcomes will be accelerated by comprehensive and integrated simulation, design and validation methodologies to decrease development time and cost, and support the uptake of AI-based solutions. In conclusion, SmartCorners will provide a significant competitive advantage of the European industry and contribute to achieve key strategic orientations C and A of the EU Strategic Plan.

The project is coordinated by AVL DiTEST, Communication and Dissemination lead is with Armengaud Innovate GmbH. Supported by CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, the project is contributing to the goals of 2Zero 

To learn more about the project, follow their activities on LinkedIn and visit the website.

E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter 03/24

It is time for the first issue of the E-VOLVE Cluster newsletter in the year 2024. This issue holds information about new cluster members, conferences and our upcoming webinar. We hope you enjoy it!

Unofficial Cluster Meeting @ RTR 2024 Conference

Last week had much room for exchange, when Bernhard Brandstätter representing HiPE, Wilmar Martinez representing PowerDrive, Luis Romeral representing Rhodas, Jenni Pippuri-Makelainen representing VOLTCAR and Eric Armengaud representing EM-TECH and HighScape all came together at the RTR 2024 conference in Brussels.

Collaboration and innovation are key to make a difference, as stated Eric during the plenary discussion following his presentation: 

“One company, one university or one project alone will not make a cross-European difference. However, onboarding the community along the project outcomes and collaboratively working towards a common goal, will enable us to stay on top thus contributing to further increase the European competitiveness”. 

As so many cluster members were present at the conference, we took the opportunity for an informal cluster meeting. It was a pleasure to see each other face to face and we hope to have a meeting in person very soon.

Roland Uerlich, Wilmar Martinez, Bernhard Brandstätter, Jenni Pippuri-Makelainen, David Lumbreras, Joao Duarte and Eric Armengaud