The need for common, scalable and brand-independent technology platforms for the key elements of EV, like the inverter-motor-transmission/gearbox (powertrain) and the battery, is evident. The project 1000kmPLUS will ensure the superiority of European automotive key technologies in terms of performance, scalability and costs for the 2nd and 3rd generation of EV. The EV powertrain and battery technologies must now start to mature, in order to fulfil existential human mobility needs in terms of affordability and usability: this is the key to enter the early mass market. It assumes ramp-up of series production and affordability by economies of scale. 1000kmPLUS will provide key arguments regarding the usability of the 2nd generation of EV to the Early Majority customers. Further, it will speed up the development and the ramp-up of series production of the 3rd EV generation. To obtain breakthroughs in terms of energy efficiency, driving range, charging and costs, the 1000kmPLUS project develops a Scalable European Powertrain Technology Platform (SEPtop@SiC), which will define automotive powertrains for EV as commodities. It will use 1200 V SiC-MOSFETs to enable a 400 V/800 V cross-compatible inverter-motor-gearbox combo, scalable as a function of the required performance. Furthermore, ultra-fast charging up to 350 kW for everyday use will be demonstrated in an EV providing an initial driving range of 500 km based on its battery energy capacity. The 1000kmPLUS project will enable, demonstrate and set up European mass production capabilities of EV key components (inverter, motor, transmission, SiC-MOSFET power modules, battery cells) by Europe´s leading automotive companies. Further, it will build ECS value chains with focus on quality, safety, efficiency and costs. The 1000kmPLUS project will build up a Mercedes-Benz EQ vehicle to demonstrate the project achievements by performing 3 challenges, representing real use cases for business as well as private travellers.

LIBERTY’s overall target is upgrading EV battery performance, safety and lifetime from a lifecycle and sustainability point of view. The key objectives of LIBERTY are to achieve a range of at least 500 km on a fully charged battery pack, halved charging times, an ultimate safe battery system, a long battery lifetime of over 300,000 km for first life, the ability to reuse the battery pack for second life applications and sustainability over the battery pack’s entire life cycle. These objectives will be achieved by developing a new battery system through smart combinations and implementation of innovations developed in LIBERTY, including a compact and safe battery pack based on high energy density cells and light-weight materials housing which is crash resistant; a versatile battery management system resulting in optimal performance and safety over the system’s total lifetime (first and second life); high accuracy state estimators allowing fast charging, enhancing range and lifetime, and guaranteeing ultimate safety and diagnostics; and an innovative thermal management system ensuring safety and preventing battery degradation during fast charging. These innovations will be demonstrated in a Mercedes EQC. To ensure that at the end of life, battery packs can be dismantled efficiently and safe, LIBERTY will design a (semi) automated battery dismantling procedure thereby reducing costs for recycling and reuse. Since current standards for performance and safety testing have limitations for testing of developments like the ones targeted in LIBERTY, future-proof testing protocols will be developed for standardised EV safety as well as performance testing. The innovations within LIBERTY lead to a compact high-performance battery pack with advanced diagnostic and control features and functionalities. In terms of consumer’s values, it brings extended range, short charging times, long distance travel capability, safety, reliability, user confidence and affordability.

Current driver assistance systems are not all-weather capable. They offer comfort and safety in sound environmental conditions. However, in adverse weather conditions where the accident risks are highest they malfunction or even fail. Now that we are progressing towards automated cars and work machines, the requirements of fully reliable environment perception are only accentuated. The project is focusing on automated driving and its key enabling technology, environment perception. Consequently, project’s main objective is to develop and validate an all-weather sensor suit for traffic services, driver assistance and automated driving. Extended driving environment perception capability with smart, reliable and cost-efficient sensing system is necessary to meet the targets of all future driver assistance system applications. These targets need to be met regardless of location, weather or time of the day. Only by means of reliable and robust sensing system upcoming automated driving will be possible. The new sensor suit is based on a smart integration of three different technologies: (i) Radio radar, 77 GHz-81 GHz, (MIMO Radar); (ii) Gated short wave infrared camera with pulsed laser illumination (SWIR camera)and (iii) Short-wave infrared LIDAR (SWIR Lidar). Such a full fusion approach has never been investigated before, so that the outcome will advance the state-of-the-art significantly and demonstrate the potential of all-weather environment perception. DENSE innovation lies in the provision of a brilliant restored enriched colour image from a degraded infrared image and consequently, this is followed by a variety of application fields for low cost solutions. An important aim is also to close the gap to US developments in the field and avoid their restrictions for selling components overseas for strategic reasons and strengthen the position of European industry in worldwide competition.

OOSCCAR uses a comprehensive integrated approach for the development of future advanced occupant protection systems. It will provide a unique human body model (HBM)-based development and assessment framework, covering main challenges of future road safety due to the introduction of highly automated vehicles as well as changes in demographics: relevant accident scenarios (mixed traffic), future vehicle interior designs, new occupant sitting positions, ageing population etc. This demands for targeted changes and adaptions of scenarios, procedures and tools for occupant safety development, assessment and homologation, not addressed by e.g. regulations or consumer crash tests today. The resulting complexity requires an emphasis on virtual methods. Based on the analysis of future relevant accident scenarios and considering new, highly automated vehicles (HAVs) enabled sitting positions, OSCCAR will develop and demonstrate advanced occupant protection principles. These require assessment with improved HBMs (omni-directionally biofidelic, active and robust), considering gender and demographic factors as well as improved soft tissues material properties. Furthermore, OSCCAR will develop fully integrated assessment methods for complex test scenarios of the complete crash phase providing the required level of confidence as current physical test procedures do. OSCCAR will also contribute to the harmonization of HBMs, a harmonized validation of injury criteria as well as the improvement of virtual testing standards. Eventually OSCCAR will develop a clear roadmap towards large scale implementation of virtual testing methods for advanced safety solutions, not only relevant in the automotive domain but also for two-wheelers, VRUs, or in sports. Due to its excellent partner consortium with key players from industry and research from Europe, North America and Asia, OSCCAR is in the position to ensure global future deployment and application of its results and achievements.

The automotive industry faces tremendous challenges in addressing decarbonization through electrification, developing future solutions for inclusive, safe and affordable mobility. Many of these changes require a radical re-thinking of existing development processes, with the share of software in modern mobility solutions continuously increasing. The rising importance of the software layer results in the so-called software-defined vehicle (SDV). Automotive software will be developed and adapted in continuous cycles. Therefore an abstraction from the underlying hardware needs to be implemented. As a result, the automotive industry is transitioning to an agile software development process. The dramatic increase of software and complexity, along with the advances of international competition in this domain, calls for an approach, in which non-differentiating software is developed jointly as open source. To address these challenges, the EU, together with industry, governments, and research institutions, have launched the European SDV Ecosystem. To turn this into reality, this proposal outlines the vision and activities for a Coordination and Support Action. FEDERATE (Software-Defined Vehicle Support and Coordination Project) aims to bring together all relevant stakeholders to accelerate the development of an SDV Ecosystem, to foster a vibrant European community and orchestrate the SDV R&D&I activities. The consortium of FEDERATE is formed by major European OEMs, automotive tiers, semiconductor companies, relevant industry associations and industrial SDV initiatives, including the Eclipse SDV WG, and supported by a scientific board. FEDERATE will work towards a common understanding on the vision of the SDV program and create an orchestrated advice for current and future projects in the SDV program. In addition, recommendations for future calls are prepared in alignment with a Roadmap and Joint Vision Document for accelerated SDV R&D&I, created as part of the CSA