Call for tenders for a study on the impact of ICT research and development in the large-scale deployment of the electric vehicle
The European Commission has published a call for tenders for a study on the impact of ICT research and development in the large-scale deployment of the electric vehicle. Safety, efficiency and comfort of vehicles have grown tremendously thanks to the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) components and systems during the last decades. The amount to which sensors, actuators and electronic controllers account for the total value of a vehicle has thus grown from less than 16 percent twenty years ago to 40 percent today. This trend is leading towards the design of a 'fully digital' vehicle run by a hardware architecture which is intelligent, adaptive and sustainable. In order to generate a competitive edge for the European industry, the paradigm shift of electric mobility based on smart systems and vehicle architectures described above will have to be triggered in parallel by a multitude of knowledge owners and industrial sectors. This shift will rely on the close cooperation of European industry (automotive, utilities and smart systems), public authorities, and consumers. The study will analyse the barriers that currently hamper an accelerated deployment of electric vehicles in Europe. The issues particularly to be considered are hurdles in terms of research, development and industrialisation of the enabling smart systems and electrical architectures in general. For comparison, complementary roadblocks from other technology fields will be taken into account as well, including battery cell performance, access to raw materials and commodities, consumer expectations, availability of charging infrastructure. A major focus of the analysis shall also be put on the environmental and also the socio- economic assessments of electric mobility, like e.g. its impact on the competitiveness of the European industry from the vehicle manufacturing as well as the smart systems sectors. Experiences from early electric vehicle manufacturing and deployment in Europe and beyond will be considered as well. Finally, recommendations for European "lighthouse" projects and framework conditions for research, development, and industrialisation of smart systems for the electric vehicle and particularly for the fully digital electric vehicle will be derived as an input to the future initiatives in this area.To see the official call announcement, please consult: OJ No S 75 of 16 April 2011(opens in new window) and the following link(opens in new window)