NEWS SECTION – FIND OUT WHAT’S NEW
E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter 09/2026
It is time for the next edition of the E-VOLVE Cluster Newsletter!
This time you can read all about
- two new projects that joined the Cluster
- new publications and deliverables
- a report from the TRA conference and all projects that were there, and
- upcoming events, meetings and conferences
The E-VOLVE Cluster is growing – Welcome RELiVE!
Road transport is central to EU society but remains a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and raw material dependency. To meet the EU Green Deal’s 2030 and 2050 climate targets, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) must become more durable, affordable, and resource-efficient. Today, their widespread uptake is hindered by high upfront costs, uncertainties on long-term reliability, and reliance on critical raw materials (CRMs) such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earths. EU automotive competitiveness is also challenged by global rivals with lower production costs and vertically integrated supply chains.
With 10 partners across 6 EU countries, RELiVE addresses these challenges by developing a modular, circular, and intelligent ePowertrain platform that extends BEV lifetime by at least 50% compared to the state of the art. Its innovations combine advanced eDrive and battery pack technologies, predictive real-time health monitoring, and digital product passports to ensure full traceability, repairability, and reuse with a user-centric approach. Two complementary BEV powertrain concepts will be demonstrated at TRL6: LONGLIFE, targeting intensive-use applications such as taxis, fleets, and mobility services, validating a powertrain with an extended lifetime, and SECONDLIFE, built on remanufactured components to provide cost-effective BEVs accessible to a wider range of users. Both will integrate smart control algorithms and health assessment for predictive maintenance and lifetime extension, reducing Total Cost of Ownership/km by 27% and material use by over 20%.
By embedding circular economy strategies, reducing CRM dependency, and enabling new maintenance service-based business models, RELiVE will strengthen EU’s industrial sovereignty and competitiveness. The project contributes directly to the 2ZERO Partnership by delivering sustainable, affordable, and long-lasting BEVs, thus advancing the EU’s transition toward clean, inclusive, and resource-resilient mobility.
Source: CORDIS
Here are more infos from RELiVE!
Welcome to the latest cluster member: ODYSSEV!
We are very honored to introduce to you the latest addition to the E-VOLVE Cluster: the ODYSSEV project – Optimised DYnamics of high voltage powertrains: developing Sustainable Systems for Electric Vehicles.
Optimised high-voltage powertrains for sustainable electric vehicles
Europe’s push towards climate-neutral mobility demands electric vehicles with longer range, faster charging times and lower cost. The EU-funded ODYSSEV project is developing optimised high-voltage powertrains that minimise losses, weight and cost while boosting efficiency. It proposes a hybrid inverter that maximises techno-economic performance across operating conditions and is designing a reconfigurable battery architecture: 400-800 V during charging and up to 1 200-1 600 V in traction. The project will deliver a 1 200 V, 100 kW powertrain with improved high-voltage motor, on-board charging, packaging and system control, using sustainable and safe-by-design methods and PHIL virtual validation. A demo vehicle targets 30 % fewer losses, 20 % more range and 20-80 % charge in 10 minutes on 350 kW chargers in real-world testing.
Objective
As the demand for fully EVs rises due to sustainability and decarbonization efforts, consumers’ concerns such as longer driving ranges and quicker charging times must be addressed. To this end, ODYSSEV is developing advanced automotive power converters and optimizing powertrain elements to utilize HV levels and novel electronic topologies.
The project centers on a hybrid inverter concept that leverages the benefits of both RC-IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs under various load conditions, aiming for the best techno-economic performance. Innovations include optimizing the HV motor’s geometry and topology to avoid issues like partial discharge and current harmonics, and designing a reconfigurable battery pack. This battery pack can be charged at lower voltages (400-800V) and provide higher voltages (1200-1600V) during traction mode. The preliminary design targets a 1200V and 100 kW powertrain, with various scenarios to be analyzed for potential HVs.
Additionally, ODYSSEV will innovate in areas such as the on-board charger, system packaging, and overall powertrain control. The project aims to demonstrate this HV powertrain integrated in a real vehicle in real driving tests, thereby providing evidence of reduced costs, losses, and weight for EV manufacturers.
The ODYSSEV project involves a consortium of 14 partners from 8 countries, including research institutions, universities, and industrial stakeholders. This group will employ a Safe and SSbD, utilizing virtual environments with PHIL capabilities for cost-effective and efficient prototyping. The consortium has access to necessary facilities and networks for manufacturing, prototyping, and testing innovative automotive solutions.
The expected impact includes a 30% reduction in energy losses and a 20% increase in driving range, with significant cost reductions (up to 20% for power electronic modules) and enhanced fast-charging capabilities (20-80% charge in 10 minutes with 350kW chargers).
Source: cordis
Find more infos about ODYSSEV here!
