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E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter 03/2026
Here is the latest edition of the cluster newsletter!
In this issue you find:
- some insights to the latest from the cluster projects
- a very detailed report from the RTR conference
- some past events
- upcoming events, and
- a warm welcome to another cluster member
Autonomous Vehicles, Policy and Research: Key Takeaways from the EARPA Spring Meeting 2026
3. & 4. March 2026, Brussels
On 3. and 4. March 2026, the European Automotive Research Partners Association (EARPA) held its Spring Meeting 2026 in Brussels, bringing together nearly 200 participants from across the European automotive research and innovation community.
The two-day event gathered EARPA members, industry experts and policymakers to exchange insights on the future of automotive research and collaboration in Europe.
Day 1 focused on internal workshops for EARPA members, including sessions of the Foresight Groups and Collaborative Research Groups. Discussions explored emerging research priorities, contributions to EARPA position papers and collaboration opportunities for upcoming calls for 2026 and 2027 under Horizon Europe.
The evening networking reception opened with remarks from Michele De Gennaro, President of EARPA, highlighting the essential role of collaborative research in strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and translating research into real-world impact.
Day 2 began with the EARPA General Assembly, where members discussed the 2026 work plan, welcomed IAAPS University of Bath as a new member, and announced that Barcelona will host the Spring Meeting 2027.
The programme continued with keynote and panel discussions addressing key developments shaping the automotive sector. A keynote by Andrea De Candido (European Commission) provided updates on EU policy, followed by a panel on Autonomous Vehicles (AV) in the EU, moderated by Adrià Ferrer (Applus+ IDIADA). Panelists included Stefan Bogensberger (European Commission), Marzena Jougounoux (European Commission), and Charlotte Eisner (Bolt). Discussions highlighted the need for large-scale AV testing, high-quality data to train systems and the importance of building public trust through safe deployment.
A second panel, Navigating Economic and Political Shifts in the Automotive Sector: Consequences for Research and Innovation, was moderated by Peter Urban, EARPA Vice-President. Panelists included Stefan Deix (EURCAR), Oihana Otaegui (Vicomtech), Bert Pluymers (KU Leuven), Horst Pflügl (AVL) and Thilo Bein (Fraunhofer LBF). Key discussions focused on digitalisation, AI-enabled hardware, and the critical link between research and industry in driving innovation.
The EARPA Spring Meeting 2026 reinforced the importance of collaboration between research organisations, industry and policymakers in driving Europe’s automotive innovation and competitiveness.
Initiatives such as the E-VOLVE Cluster exemplify this approach in practice. By connecting complementary R&D projects across Europe, the cluster is delivering synergies that accelerate the development of the next generation of electric vehicles. Its work focuses on integrated innovations across EV components to meet future mobility needs, enhancing energy efficiency, usability, cost-effectiveness and driving range for both urban and inter-city travel.
Check out this link to access the event pictures: Spring Meeting 2026 | Flickr
What a week – looking back at the RTR Conference 2026!
It was quite the week for our E-VOLVE Cluster, as many of our projects were present at the RTR Conference in Brussels. The conference brought together road transport researchers and policy makers to present, discover and discuss the latest outcomes of their research.
We were pleased not only with the opportunity to show our research and results, but especially with the exchange that happened afterwards. It was clear that there is a strong interest in next-generation motor technologies and especially collaboration and interaction with other partners and projects.
We want to give you now an overview of all the E-VOLVE Cluster member project presentations. Don’t miss out to check them all out!
Day 1 started with the 2Zero parallel session on “Electric motor technologies for next generation EVs”. This section featured the following presentations each one introducing their projects and results (so far).
Here you can check out all the presentations:
Watch the entire session here:
Following this session was another 2Zero block on “Power electronics for electric vehilces” featuring presentations about the following projects, members to the E-VOLVE Cluster and their research.
Check out every presentation here!
You can watch the full presentation in this video.
The late afternoon concluded with three more presentations in the 2Zero parallel session “User centric energy optimised EV”.
Here are all the presentations:
Watch all presentations in this video!
In addition to all these informative presentations and the resulting fruitful discussions, all the projects were represented at the E-VOLVE Cluster booth. Here are some impressions from our booth an the conference.
Lastly, we are very grateful for the interesting discussions, the opportunity to exchange face-to-face and the connections we made regarding future collaborations. Also, we wanted to thank 2Zero and all co-organizers for the great environment, to all the session moderators, as well as the RTR Conference for creating this vivid place for exchange. We will be back next year!
