CORDIS at H2020 Road Transport Research Conference 2019: Mapping the road ahead

CORDIS attended the 2019 Results from Road Transport Research in H2020 Projects conference in Brussels on 4 & 5 December. The event, organised by the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) and the European Green Vehicles Initiative (EGVI), gave participants the chance to hear how many H2020-funded projects were progressing – straight from the mouths of the project coordinators themselves!

Digital Economy

© Ozgur Coskun, Shutterstock

A quick glance at the two-day conference’s programme, shows just how wide-ranging the topics touched upon were: from weight reduction of electric vehicles to the development of new batteries, from smaller-scale projects focusing on a specific technical issue to large-scale ones involving “big names” of the car manufacturing stage, all the sessions proposed were not only relevant but interesting. CORDIS was therefore disappointed they couldn’t follow every session and talk to all the projects present but we are however pleased to report on the sessions we could follow. Readers interested in finding out more about the numerous projects present at the event will find their factsheets and other details on the CORDIS website. We also invite you to read the topically relevant Results Pack on connected and automated driving we published earlier this year as well as November 2018’s edition of Research*eu magazine which had a special feature focus on electric vehicles.

The many facets of green vehicle integration

The first session we attended was entitled “Integration of Green Vehicles into the transport system” and showcased the progress made by projects focusing on this specific issue, including the NeMo project, which recently won 1st prize at the MOBI Grand Challenge in Los Angeles, in the category “Most Feasible Entry”. Both NeMo and the recently-completed ELECTRIFIC project are focusing not only on integrating green vehicles into the power grid but also including users in the integration process, notably by developing unique ICT tools to help facilitate smoother connection between all actors in the electromobility ecosystem. The ASSURED project, for its part, is working to develop (among others) next generation modular high-power charging solutions for cleaner, more sustainable, eco-friendly urban transport (such as electrically powered buses, garbage trucks and delivery vehicles).

Testing times

Next up: a session on “Modelling and testing of Electric Vehicles”, showcasing projects that focus on reducing EV development efforts and improving the testing process, while keeping the testing process safe – each with their own take. Project OBELICS, for instance, is busy providing a “toolchain” that will reduce EV costs and development efforts, therefore contributing to the emergence of affordable EVs. Meanwhile, project DEMOBASE has set itself key objectives both at battery level (using massive digitalization to run cell and battery system in parallel) and vehicle level (by implementing a novel approach to design light-weight chassis). HIFI-ELEMENTS is working on developing, validating and publishing a recommendation for a standardisation of model interfaces for common e-drive components – with the ultimate goal of having these recommendations and methods widely adopted within the EV-industry.

Standing on the shoulders of giants

The session on the hot-button issue of Automated Driving (AD) also saw some of the largest projects funded under H2020 present their work: the L3Pilot project brings a total of 13 European car manufacturers (as well as some US and Japanese ones) together to test the viability of AD as a safe and efficient means of transportation, and will be the first project ever to demonstrate such a wide-ranging menu of automated driving functions. The ENSEMBLE project is paving the way for the adoption of multi-brand electronic truck platooning technology in Europe: its aim is to run a demonstration with a total of six different truck manufacturers brought together in one (or more) platoons under real-world traffic conditions and crossing national borders. The AVENUE project is not only large in scale but also represents a world first: it deploys fleets of autonomous mini-buses in low to medium demand areas in 4 European cities: Geneva, Lyon, Copenhagen and Luxembourg.

It was truly fascinating to see all these projects’ results and work in progress – though we will not have a real-life equivalent of KITT driving through our streets just yet, it did give CORDIS a clear glimpse of the road ahead!

Countries

Belgium