In this project, leading European universities, research centers, and companies within the battery supply chain are bringing their expertise and innovations together to create the next-generation BMS platform able to overcome critical challenges limiting the performance of the existing solutions. iBattMan will incorporate novel sensors and methodologies for monitoring the State-of-Health (SOH) of the cells during operation and in charging, together with cutting-edge technologies and tools for V2X and second-life applications, and use advanced physics- and data-based models implemented on-board and on-cloud for performance evaluation, diagnosis, health management and safety evaluation tools, to trigger actions to address safety and cyber-security concerns. This will result in an innovative, modular and scalable BMS, for a wide range of vehicles, from small passenger cars to e-buses and electric trucks, with improved performance, connectivity, security and reliability to enhance battery performance and reduce total cost of ownership in EV applications and intelligent battery use for grid support and in 2nd life applications, based on a holistic design of an interoperable architecture and supported by a suite of advanced sensors and edge- and cloud-computational resources. This will represent an outstanding step forward in the EU battery development roadmap and enable accelerated market adoption of smart batteries to bring to market world-leading class Li-ion technologies to improve the cost-effectiveness, circularity, and sustainability of the EU battery industry by 2030-2035. It will support the integration of more renewables on the grid based on new concepts such as Smart Cities and Net Zero Buildings to benefit EV car manufacturers and complementary markets like urban mobility, 2nd life application for stationary storage, batteries, and battery recycling.

ENLIGHTEN aims at developing, integrating and testing a next generation post 800V electric vehicle powertrain with an indicative voltage level of 1200V. It targets a higher performing, cost optimized and more sustainable drivetrain layout that is also backwards compatible to the existing charging infrastructure with 1000V or 500V respectively. Determining exactly how high the new voltage level should be, to enable expected advantages in a systemic and systematic way is also part of the project. A new voltage level affects the entire sphere of electric mobility, both horizontally (vehicle, charging infrastructure, users, manufacturers) and vertically (OEM, tier1, tier2, single component supplier), hence a deliberate decision is required. To accomplish this an advanced electrical system architecture is presented by the ENLIGHTEN consortium in this proposal on whose basis a specific electric vehicle drivetrain will finally be developed and demonstrated in a C-segment vehicle. The at TRL5 delivered powertrain will consist of a dual voltage battery system and an integrated motor-inverter E-drive system, complemented by an intermediate DCDC converter, an AC and DC capable onboard charger and a power distribution. All power electronic devices will exploit low loss, ultra-fast switching gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors for highest efficiency and to minimize cooling demand and component size. The dual voltage battery can be switched dynamically from one battery voltage into the other while driving. Through these and other measures, the ENLIGHTEN system delivers significant advances over the 2024 State of the Art. The ENLIGHTEN consortium includes 2 automotive companies, 1 Tier1 supplier and 2 SMEs. Their expertise is leveraged by the partnership with 2 research institutions and 4 academia/universities, constituting an ideal setup for strengthening the competitiveness of the European automotive industry.

S4MILE project aims to support the large-scale introduction of electric vehicles by simplifying the vehicle structure and integrating the next-generation solid-state cells into the vehicle structure based on a disruptive and innovative ‘virtual’ module-to-chassis concept (VM2C) based on large structural ALU casting and composite unibodies. The size of the permanently installed battery is reduced using a novel swappable module design to increase the gravimetric and volumetric energy density of the unit in a safe and robust design. The solid-state technology, coupled with advanced thermal and pressure management systems, enables fast charging and long-range based on a reconfigurable battery management system (BMS), which facilitates maintainability, reparability and second life and ensures modularity and scalability of the design applicable to a range of small to medium size vehicles through a safe and efficient communication and operation with the vehicle controller. Advanced battery models based on a battery passport coupled with a thermal management system in a digital twin of the battery will ensure optimal operation and life and range extension while ensuring safety in all operating conditions. S4MILE builds upon large experience and prior projects to meet outstanding results capable of boosting the EU landscape in EVs and related sectors.