The iSTORMY project will propose an innovative and interoperable hybrid stationary energy storage system based on: modular battery pack (stacks/modules) + modular power electronics (PE) interface + universal Self-healing energy management strategy (SH-EMS). In particular the project will investigate and demonstrate: 1. Modular battery pack with hybridization at stacks/modules level (incl. slave pBMS) with a new universal BMS (adaptive interfaces + accurate SoX) at the top of the battery system for easy and fast integration and control. The hybridization will consist of different battery types or same type with different capacities (first and second life) and a smart modular solution will be developed to integrate the cooling system among modules or stacks. 2. Modular PE interface based on SiC devices with high efficiency (topology + adaptive local controller) and Digital Twin modeling. 3. Universal SH-EMS (based on machine learning and online algorithms) including the aging and thermal constraints for failure mechanisms.

The European “Green Deal” initiative by the EU commission strives for sustainable mobility and efficient use of resources. Within HiEFFICIENT the project partners will work towards these goals and will develop the next generation of wide band-gap semiconductors (WBG) in the area of smart mobility. To boost this development and the market introduction in automotive applications, HiEFFICIENT partners have set ambitious goals to gain higher acceptance and achieve the maximum benefit in using WBG semiconductors: 1.) Reduction in Volume of 40%, by means of integration on all levels (component-, subsystem- and system level), 2.) Increase efficiency beyond 98%, while reducing losses of up to 50%, 3.) Increase reliability of wide band-gap power electronic system to ensure a lifetime improvement of up to 20%. To accomplish the targeted goals, the partners will work on industrial use cases to demonstrate the key achievements and the progress that goes beyond state of the art. This includes, amongst others, modular inverters with different voltage levels (such as 48V, 400V, 800V), flexible on- and multi-use off-board chargers for different voltage levels, multi-purpose DC/DC converters and test systems for power electronics’ lifetime testing. These use cases are led by OEMs and other industrial partners, who define requirements and specifications for the envisioned systems. The project work starts at component-level, developing highly integrated GaN and SiC devices, and is followed by multi-objective design optimization and virtual prototyping approaches. High integration means big challenges in thermal management, which will be addressed by the development of advanced cooling concepts and modularity for the sake of maintainability and flexibility for future applications. Finally, the demonstrators are integrated in relevant environments to proof the concepts and the applicability for electric drivetrains with higher integration, higher efficiency, and higher reliability.

The sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are increasing but their drivers still encounter problems to find appropriate charging options. The vision of eCharge4Drivers is to focus on the users and substantially improve the EV charging experience within cities and on long trips, making it better than refuelling an ICE vehicle. The work will start with wide surveys in 10 demonstration areas, to capture the a priori users’ perceptions and expectations as regards the various charging options and their mobility and parking habits. Based on the survey findings and after matching with the perspective of authorities, operators and service providers, the project will develop and demonstrate in 10 areas, including metropolitan areas and TEN T corridors, easy-to-use, scalable and modular, high- and low-power charging stations, low-power DC charging stations and components with improved connection efficiency and standardised stations for LEVs. All stations will offer various direct payment methods and bigger user-friendly displays. The charging stations and all actors’ back-ends will support the ISO 15118 Plug & Charge feature and will enable the standardised transfer of enhanced information in the ecosystem, thus enabling the interoperability of communication and the provision of more sophisticated services to the users before, during and after the charging process, including smart charging services. The project will demonstrate additional convenient charging options within cities, a mobile charging service, charge points at lamp posts and networks of battery swapping stations for LEVs. Using the knowledge generated, the project will propose an EV Charging Location Planning Tool to determine the optimum mix of charging options to cover the user needs, recommendations for legal and regulatory harmonisation and guidelines for investors and authorities for the sustainability of charging infrastructure and services.

The project OPEVA aims for innovation on aggregating information from the vehicle, not only from the battery but also from other internal sensors and behaviours, to create a model of performance and consumption specific to the individual vehicle and its driver (TD1). It aims to optimize the individual driving episode using the out-vehicle data such as state of the road, weather, charging station location and occupancy etc. that are collated from the back-end systems (TD2). OPEVA will further address the challenges associated with the communication between the vehicle and the infrastructure to gather data from the back-end systems (TD3). It aims for innovation in the use of recharging stations and related applications (TD4). It further aims to achieve better understanding on what the battery and its constituent cells are really doing during real world use for an improved battery management system (TD5). Finally, TD6 covers the driver-oriented human factors for optimizing the electrical vehicle usage. The TDs from the most deeply embedded in the vehicle to its support in the cloud, which need to interwork in an optimal fashion to deliver in one decade a better level of systemic optimisation for personal mobility that took ten decades to achieve with fossil fuels. On the other hand, economic factors (N-TD1), legal and ethical aspects (N-TD2), EV related development by the human (N-TD3), and societal and environmental factors (N-TD4) will be taken into consideration in the OPEVA methods for a higher acceptance and the awareness of the society regarding the these developments.

EcoMobility will support European industry and cities in transitioning from isolated and static transportation means towards a service-centric, connected mobility ecosystem by sharing data and services across involved stakeholders. The project will enable and simplify cooperative development, deployment, operation and life cycle management of connected adaptive end-to-end mobility solutions in a sustainable manner. EcoMobility will • establish devops practices within the supply chain with continuous and customized cloud-based addition and improvement of mobility services • support contract-based runtime coupling of mobility services within edge/cloud-based service for deployment of AI solutions, coupled with monitoring, analysis and coordination of vehicles, transportation infrastructures and people • deliver reliable & enhanced vision, perception, including HD maps, and localization systems for safe, connected, and automated vehicles • deliver customized and improved fail-operational ADAS systems reflecting technology capabilities of heterogeneous vehicles and protecting vulnerable road users • provide energy-aware control and scheduling of electric vehicles including smart Battery Management Systems (BMS) and coordination with other transportation means • contribute to increased public acceptance of electrified autonomous vehicles and bridge gaps between technological advancements and legal and regulatory frameworks. The demonstrators within EcoMobility will showcase the project’s findings and capabilities for the end-to-end sustainable mobility ecosystem with impact on improved trust, safety, security, efficiency and ecology of mobility solutions to a level appropriate for mass-market deployment. Emerging innovations will leverage the expertise of world-renowned industrial and research partners within the mobility value chain, giving Europe a competitive edge in a growing market with direct contributions to the European goal of zero road fatalities by 2050