In the HDV market, the main considerations for battery packs are safety, durability and mass energy density. High-energy NMC cells are very appealing for achieving the target for future battery packs. However, further developments are needed for high-energy NMC battery packs to meet the stringent safety and durability standards of the HDV market. Additional factor to achieve high mass energy density is reducing the weight of the battery pack, but lightweight structures are less common in HDV due to safety and durability constraints. To respond to these challenges, SIERRA project will develop a safe, sustainable, lightweight and high-performance Ni-rich NMC battery pack with advanced cell-to-pack monitoring for decarbonising HDV. SIERRA project will propose several innovations: 1 - Multiscale modelling of the battery pack to propose compact pack design and to simulate its thermal and mechanical behaviour; 2 - One-shot manufacturing of lightweight multimaterials casings with low environment impact; 3 - Mutli-scale advanced monitoring (SHM, thermal mapping, SoC, SoH) and reduction of the complexity of BMS architecture; 4 - Full integrated cooling system and printed busbars to respond to fast charging requirements and increase performance over the complete operational conditions. The specific use case targeted by the project is the bus market, and SIERRA battery pack will be validated at TRL6 for this market. The integration into the vehicle will be simulated using a digital twin. All SIERRA activities will follow the methodology defined by the SSbD framework. SIERRA consortium is composed of 11 partners (+60% industrials), all with exceptional R&D platforms and proven track records. SIERRA battery pack sales are projected to generate a total cash flow of €87 million between 2030 and 2034, accompanied by the creation of 525 jobs, thereby contributing to the expansion of the EU clean mobility market. SIERRA project will also generate 13 KERs and 8 patents.

The Shift2SDV project aims to revolutionize the European automotive domain by creation of an SDV ecosystem around middleware & API framework enabling collaboration across the automotive value chain. This ambitious endeavour envisions a comprehensive shift towards a modular framework that transcends the limitations of current monolithic systems, fostering agility and innovation through the development of complementary middleware services and software development solutions. Central to Shift2SDV is the development of a cutting-edge middleware framework that provides micro-services to build automotive applications upon, abstracting from underlying hardware components – supporting stepwise migration, open source and proprietary components, in-vehicle safety critical and off-vehicle cloud functionality. It is specifically designed to streamline software development and integration while ensuring compatibility and flexibility with existing and emerging technologies. Key technical objectives include the development of a modern, flexible micro-services-based architecture, middleware framework that simplifies the brand-specific application development, and establishment of a safe and secure system architecture compliant with functional safety standards. Additionally, the project aims to develop an orchestration for efficient resource management, integrate edge and cloud computing, and demonstrate the practical viability of the developed middleware through concrete use cases. To maximize impact, Shift2SDV prioritizes active communication, dissemination, and exploitation of project outcomes, fostering collaboration among stakeholders and existing projects and initiatives aligning technological advancements with market demands. Through these concerted efforts, Shift2SDV seeks to propel European leadership in Software Defined Vehicles, driving innovation and economic growth in the automotive industry.