IMMORTAL will develop exceptionally durable and high power density MEAs well beyond the current state of the art up to TRL4 by building on understanding of fuel cell degradation pathways specific to heavy-duty truck operation and developing lifetime prediction models from extensive real-life stack operation, accelerated stress test and load profile cycles on short stacks. IMMORTAL encompasses OEMs, tier 1 suppliers, and leading industrial and academic/research organisation partners with long expertise in fuel cell science and technology. Building on best developments from the FCHJU, the project will not only develop significantly more durable MEAs that will be transferable to other fields, but will accelerate competitiveness of the European fuel cell truck sector by providing recommendations at system level to improve durability, and designs that contribute to increasing stack power density and to reducing the PEMFC system cost. Accordingly, the specific objectives of the project are to: Develop new materials concepts for world-leading components (electrocatalysts, membranes) by building mitigation strategies to fuel cell operation-induced degradation into their design to ensure both their activity and their stability, and improve the interfaces between them to minimise resistances; Realise the potential of these components in MEAs by introducing novel electrode and MEA constructions to deliver a step-change in durability while exceeding 1.2 W/cm2 at 0.675 V; Develop load profile tests for heavy-duty MEA performance and durability assessment, including input from real-life usage profiles from H2Haul; Validate the MEA performance and durability in full size cell short stacks using extended load profile testing and achieve a predicted lifetime of 30,000 hours.

The SeNSE proposal aims at enabling next generation lithium-ion batteries with a silicon-graphite composite anode and a nickel-rich NMC cathode to reach 750 Wh/L. Cycling stability is the key challenge for the adoption of this cell chemistry. The objective is to reach 2000 deep cycles by (i) reducing the surface reactivity of the active materials by a combination of novel film-forming electrolyte additives and active materials coatings, (ii) compensating irreversible lithium losses during the first cycles employing pre-lithiated silicon and providing an on-demand reservoir of excess lithium in the cathode, (iii) identifying and controlling critical cycling parameters with data provided from in-cell sensors. Adaptive fast charging protocols will be integrated into the battery management system based on dynamic in-cell sensor data and by implementing thermal management concepts on materials and electrode level. To improve the sustainability of the battery and to lower production cost, the content of the critical raw materials cobalt and natural graphite will be reduced. Enabled by protective coatings, aqueous slurry processing will be developed for the cathode. Costs will be further lowered and energy density improved by the development of thinner textured current collector foils offering enhanced adhesion. The feasibility and scalability of the SeNSE battery technology with respect to the call targets will be demonstrated through 25 Ah pouch cell prototypes and a 1 kWh module. Scalability to the gigawatt scale and cost-effectiveness of the proposed solutions, including aspects of recycling and second-life use, will be continuously monitored via regular briefings led by Northvolt, which currently undertakes one of the most ambitious efforts to establish a European cell manufacturing plant at scale. To strengthen the European IP portfolio in the battery field, patent applications are the preferred way of dissemination of technology developed within SeNSE.

The major challenge the European automotive industry is currently faced with is the 2020 CO2 fleet emission target of 95g/km and the envisaged further reduction of the CO2 emission limits in the European Union for the period after 2025. The European OEMs are also challenged by meeting Euro 6 tail pipe emission standards while already developing powertrains that need to fulfil future Euro 7 emission limits. In addition, the change of the emission test drive cycle from NEDC to WLTP and the implementation of real-driving emissions (RDE) imposes additional challenges onto the European car industry. The effort to meet the future fleet CO2 emission limits has been leading to the need for introduction of a broad range of electrified vehicle configurations into the portfolio of the European OEMs. Besides the increased development effort related to the electrified powertrain system itself, electrification also results in more derivatives from the standard platforms and vehicle models, which further increases the development effort and costs. An electrified powertrain is a highly complex mechatronic system, and meeting all functional and performance requirements efficiently demands a highly integrated development approach. Micro- and mild-hybrid architectures add moderate complexity to the conventional powertrain, however, the further step towards heavy electrification, aimed at a largely improved overall energy efficiency and unconditional emission legislation compliance under RDE conditions, requires advanced design and optimization methods and tools to master the related development challenges. This is exactly where the VISION-xEV project aims at providing its scientific and technical contribution: to develop and demonstrate a generic virtual component and system integration framework for the efficient development of all kinds of future electrified powertrain systems.

Growing road traffic in Europe results in detrimental effects on the environment and public health to a level that is becoming unsustainable, this in spite of increasingly stringent emission standards. In particular, CO2 and noxious emissions are not sufficiently reduced in real driving, while higher injection pressures have led to a shift towards the emission of smaller nanoparticles that are undetected by current certification procedures. The challenge of the DiePeR project is to apply advanced technologies for combustion and exhaust aftertreatment to existing non-hybrid Diesel engines and to optimize the improved characteristics of a new generation of engines with regard to emissions, fuel consumption and driveability. Specific technologies will be advanced to TRL 6 or TRL 7 and integrated in two demonstration vehicles: One passenger car of the mid/ premium segment and one light commercial vehicle. A full calibration and assessment of the vehicles and underlying technologies will take place to proof: Real driving emissions substantially below Euro 6/ NEDC limits, less than half of emitted particles (number) including particles < 23nm and a more than 5% improved fuel efficiency based on best-in-class MY2015 vehicles. The project also addresses design features, control and basic research such as modelling of particles formation and the deterioration of engine components (fuel injection system, exhaust aftertreatment system) and its effect on emissions, in order to assess the robustness of the vehicles over useful lifetime.

Fuel economy is a key aspect to reduce operating costs and improve efficiency of freight traffic, thus increasing truck competitiveness. The main objective of the IMPERIUM project (IMplementation of Powertrain Control for Economic and Clean Real driving EmIssion and ConsUMption) is to achieve fuel consumption reduction by 20% (diesel and urea) whilst keeping the vehicle within the legal limits for pollutant emissions. The approach relies on three stages targeting the improvement of the control strategy: * Direct optimisation of the control of the main components (engine, exhaust after-treatment, transmission, waste heat recovery, e-drive) to maximize their performances. * Global powertrain energy manager to coordinate the different energy sources and optimize their use depending on the current driving situation. * Providing a more comprehensive understanding of the mission (eHorizon, mission-based learning) such that the different energy sources can be planned and optimized on a long term. The IMPERIUM consortium consist of major European actors and is able to provide a 100% European value chain for the development of future powertrain control strategies for trucks.