High efficiency, high power density, cost effective, scalable and modular power electronics and control solutions for electric vehicles

Project Information

HighScape

Grant agreement ID: 101056824

DOI

10.3030/101056824

EC signature date 5 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 4 589 292,50

EU contribution

€ 4 589 291,00

Coordinated by

AVL LIST GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HighScape (High efficiency, high power density, cost effective, scalable and modular power electronics and control solutions for electric vehicles)

Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

HighScape proposes a set of research and innovation activities to develop, test and validate innovative next-generation battery electric vehicle (BEV) solutions that can only be achieved through recent wide bandgap (WBG) technologies. Focused on BEV architectures with distributed multiple wheel drives, and, specifically, in-wheel powertrains, HighScape will explore the feasibility of a family of highly efficient, integrated, compact, cost-effective, scalable and modular power electronics components and systems, including integrated traction inverters, on-board chargers, DC/DC converters, and electric drives for auxiliaries and actuators. The proposed solutions will achieve automotive quality levels with robust and reliable functionalities and materials, which will be assessed and validated on test rigs and on two differently sized BEV prototypes carried over from previous European initiatives. The project will result in: i) component integration at a level hitherto impossible, e.g. with the incorporation of the WBG traction inverters within the in-wheel machines to achieve zero footprint of the electric powertrain on the sprung mass; the functional integration of the traction inverter with the on-board charger, and the incorporation of the latter and the DC/DC converters within the battery pack; and the implementation of multi-motor and fault-tolerant inverter solutions for the auxiliaries and chassis actuators; ii) novel solutions, including the implementation of reconfigurable winding topologies of the drive, as well as integrated and predictive thermal management at the vehicle level, with the adoption of phase changing materials within the power electronics components; iii) the achievement and demonstration of significantly higher levels of power density, specific power and energy efficiency for the resulting power electronics systems and related drives; iv) major cost reductions with respect to the current state-of-the-art, thanks to the dual use of parts, subsystem modularity, and model-based design to eliminate overengineering; and v) increased dependability and reliability of the power electronics systems, enabled by design and intelligent predictive health monitoring algorithms.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The activities during the first project period were focused on the refinement of the systems and components strategies and architectures – supported by simulation – and the design of these components. The following achievements can be reported at project mid-term
- Preliminary design of an 800V SiC-based traction inverter integrated into the in-wheel-motor
- Preliminary design of innovative chassis components (active suspension system, brake-by-wire prototype) taking advantage of Wide-Bandgap power electronics and implementing a redundant architecture for safety-critical systems
- SiC- and GaN-based on-board charger and DC/DC converters integrated in the battery pack and enabling dual use of components
- Design of predictive BEV thermal management system enabling the redirection of heat between the different vehicle components to increase pre-conditioning efficiency
- Advanced high-level control strategies demonstrated in simulation, taking advantages of the fast torque response of the in-wheel-motor to improve vehicle dynamics and thus road safety (brake force distribution), respectively increase comfort and efficiency (e.g. compensation of longitudinal acceleration oscillation, symmetric and asymmetric Pulse-and-Glide stategies)
- Integrated simulation toolchain – as part of a cross-project collaboration with EM-TECH and HiPE – with the target to support technology partners along the value chain to understand and better assess the impact of their technology for given vehicle architectures.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

HighScape is organized around the following 9 project results, all linked to the 5 main targeted project impacts described previously.
- PR1. Integrated in-wheel machine and WBG-based power electronics
- PR2. SiC- and GaN-based OBC and DC/DC converters integrated in the battery pack
- PR3. Integrated in-wheel corner, with WBG-based PE for IWMs, electro-mechanical brakes, and ride height control system
- PR4. Control software to oversee IWM units with dynamically reconfigurable winding
- PR5. PE architecture enabling dual use of components and fault tolerance
- PR6. Multi-phase cooling concepts and integration
- PR7. Intelligent and predictive power electronics conditioning, and holistic and model predictive BEV thermal management system
- PR8. Integrated and fault-tolerant motor drives for chassis actuators and auxiliaries
- PR9. Intelligent algorithms for predictive health monitoring, novel IWM functions, and predictive energy-efficient chassis actuation

The IPR and exploitation strategy is currently being refined following four main exploitation models
- Commercial exploitation model (PR1-3, PR5, PR8), monetising the project results for paid customers, focusing on product selling or IP licensing.
- Research exploitation model (PR4, PR6, PR9), which entitles the re-utilisation of the research outputs and know-how. It is of interest to academic and research organisations, capitalising on peer-review publications in terms of citations and number of downloads, as well as creating bilateral industrial cooperation
- Technological exploitation model (PR2, PR5, PR7), revolving around the use of the technological know-how acquired for the development of innovative products and the provision of advanced services built on top of them.
- Co-entrepreneurship-based exploitation (all PRs) acting as orchestrator/community broker to support matchmaking between industrial users (needs) and technology providers (solutions).

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