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The European automotive industry has long been a global leader, contributing €1 trillion to GDP and employing 13 million people, but it now faces a rapid transformation driven by the shift to clean mobility, digitalisation, and automation. With one in five cars sold globally in 2024 being electric, the sector must adapt to new technologies like AI, software, and connectivity while addressing challenges such as supply chain dependencies, talent shortages, and intense global competition. To secure its competitiveness and maintain a strong production base, the EU has launched an Action Plan, building on extensive industry consultations. This plan outlines concrete measures across five key areas: innovation and digitalisation, clean mobility, supply chain resilience, skills development, and a fair business environment, ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of the automotive industry’s future.

A comparison between different slot/pole combinations of axial flux electric machines is presented in this poster. The main objective is to classify these structures according to torque density and electromagnetic performance, based on the specifications of a medium-sized electric car. The study is carried out using 3D-FEA calculations.

This paper derives and discusses the superiority of a simple dc-link capacitor voltage control configuration for multilevel neutral-point-clamped converters with any number of levels. The control involves n − 2 control loops regulating the difference between the voltage of neighbor capacitors. These control loops are inherently decoupled, i.e., they are independent and the control action of one loop does not affect the others. This method is proven to be equivalent to previously published approaches, with the added advantages of increased simplicity and scalability to a higher number of levels, all while imposing a lower computational burden. The good performance of such control is confirmed through simulations and experiments.

This paper outlines the main innovations of the EM-TECH and HighScape projects, targeting a wide range of vehicle applications, including passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Specifically, EM-TECH deals with: i) modular designs of on-board axial flux machines (AFMs) for reducing the implementation costs of scalable centralised powertrains for electric axle (e-Axle) solutions; ii) in-wheel motors (IWMs) integrated with electric gearing, for expanding the high efficiency region of electric corner (e-Corner) powertrains; and iii) the use of permanent magnets deriving from recycling processes to improve sustainability. In parallel, HighScape targets the physical and functional integration of the PE of WBG based traction inverters, onboard chargers, DC/DC converters, and electric drives for auxiliaries and actuators.

The report details the results related to the design, fabrication and validation of the compact power modules, including active switches, gate drivers and auxiliary electronics, at a laboratory level conducted as part of the RHODaS project. Thermal degradation and undesirable electrical effects are also studied and presented.

As the growth in electric vehicle (EV) chargers continues to push research towards compact and efficient power converters, high-frequency magnetic designs become pivotal. However, they introduce new challenges related to excessive magnetic losses and adverse parasitic components. Using planar transformers with PCB windings can address these by offering good heat dissipation, low losses, and controlled parasitics. Furthermore, interleaved winding configurations can circumvent traditional design trade-offs. Therefore, this paper presents a planar transformer design using PCB windings with novel interleaving and design aspects to minimise the losses and parasitic components of the high-frequency transformer. It aims to achieve an optimal balance between the trade-offs whilst ensuring compatibility with the target converter’s requirements and cooling system. The proposed anti-symmetrical interleaving achieves a drastic reduction of factor 8.6 in interwinding capacitance compared to conventional full-interleaving combined with low winding losses. The paper provides extensive comparison studies of different interleaving types, supported by thorough finite element simulations. The resulting design approach is applied to a 4 kW isolated dc-dc converter for level-1 EV charging. Finally, different prototypes are built and extensively characterised and validated for implementation in the EV charger. The resulting transformer features a gravimetric and volumetric power density of 15.1 kW/kg and 76.4 kW/l, respectively

The Global EV Outlook is an annual publication that identifies and assesses recent developments in electric mobility across the globe. It is developed with the support of members of the Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI). 

Combining analysis of historical data with projections – now extended to 2035 – the reports examine key areas of interest such as the deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, battery demand, investment trends, and related policy developments in major and emerging markets. It also considers what wider EV adoption means for electricity and oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

In preparation of the new multi-annual financial framework of the European Union, we, the European Technology Platform ERTRAC and the European Partnerships 2Zero and CCAM, representing the Road Transport Research community, call on the European Union to urgently take strong actions to support the transformation of the sector towards digitalisation and decarbonisation and to defend its competitiveness in the face of a fierce international competition challenging the European economic sovereignty. 

This document reports on the laboratory testing of the Thermal Management System (TMS) for a 150 kW High-Power Converter (HPC). Two prototype heatsinks, one made of copper and the other of aluminium, were tested. The aluminium heatsinks showed significant weight reduction while maintaining heat dissipation efficiency. The TMS is integral to the RHODAS project's 150 kW Integrated Motor Drive (IMD), ensuring optimal temperature for power converters in electric vehicles. The TMS, including the aluminium heatsink module, radiator, fan system, coolant pump, and piping, demonstrated effective performance under various thermal loads in laboratory conditions.
 

Supported by Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses, the TMS design proved to be robust and scalable. Test results will guide future optimizations to enhance thermal efficiency and system integration for vehicle applications. The TMS is critical in preventing overheating, improving reliability, and extending the lifespan of components in electric vehicles (EVs).

The research presented in a poster format, focuses on the environmental impacts of electric traction machines (ETM) used in the electrification of vehicle fleets. While Electric Vehicles (EVs) offer significant benefits in terms of decarbonization, concerns have been raised regarding the environmental effects throughout the lifecycle of ETMs, from resource extraction to end-of-life treatment.

In this study, the VUB aims to analyze the environmental impacts of ETMs, with a particular focus on the use of permanent magnets (PM) containing strategic raw materials. The research explores novel recycling processes for PMs, aiming to mitigate environmental impacts associated with their production and disposal.

The research methodology employs Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), taking a cradle-to-grave approach to evaluate the environmental footprint of ETMs. Two scenarios will be compared: one with standard end-of-life treatment and the other integrating innovative PM recycling processes.

The results of the study are expected to shed light on the potential environmental benefits of circularity strategies in ETM design. Insights gained from this research will inform Maxima’s broader objective of developing more efficient ETMs with reduced reliance on strategic resources.