Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Efficient HV-electric modular battery and distribution systems for sustainable WAterborne VEssels

Project description

Powering the future of electric shipping

The maritime sector faces challenges in transitioning to sustainable, all-electric vessels. Key obstacles include low energy density in current battery systems, safety concerns, and the need for durable, sustainable materials. Economic viability also remains a significant barrier for widespread adoption. To address these issues, the EU-funded eWAVE project brings together 18 experts from research, technology, and shipbuilding to advance high-voltage (HV) technology for electric vessels. By developing high-energy-density batteries, scalable modular systems, and an integrated safety concept, eWAVE aims to enhance the sustainability, safety, and efficiency of maritime transport. The project will also explore circularity through bio-based materials and recycling, supporting the EU’s goal of reducing the environmental footprint of shipping.

Objective

eWAVE brings together 18 research, technology and shipbuilding experts to mature High-Voltage (HV) technology for electric vessels for future uptake in European shipbuilding sector, using efficient HV electric modular battery and distribution systems. It will research, develop and demonstrate solutions for sustainable maritime and inland vessels. However, the widespread adoption of such HV technology is hindered by several obstacles (e.g. current battery systems’ energy density, safety concerns, durable & sustainable materials), and, finally, economic viability/sustainability.
This will be achieved by using new high-energy-density high-nickel-content batteries for waterborne applications in a lightweight housing made of recyclable thermoplastics, wired and wireless BMS solutions and multi-level converters that provide the required scalability for vessel systems up to 1MWh and far beyond. The battery system will be fostered by an integral safety system concept considering thermal runaway & ventilation, supported by an integrated real-time condition monitoring system using novel SoC/SoH algorithms and SoS estimation. The key results of eWAVE will be validated via laboratory and real-life vessel demonstrators. The applicability of the system will be investigated across multiple vessel types using an efficient modular digital twin to maximize industry uptake. To further improve circularity and sustainability of maritime battery systems, eWAVE will explore bio-based battery housings, a design for dismantling and recycling, the creation of a battery passport concept for the maritime sector, and potential 2nd life applications for the batteries.
eWAVE’s HV technology solutions, tools and methods are expected to significantly improve the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of battery systems in shipping, thus supporting transition to all-electric shipping and contributing to the reduction of the environmental footprint of waterborne transport in the EU and far beyond.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL5-2024-D5-01

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

I2M UNTERNEHMENSENTWICKLUNG GMBH
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 473 937,50
Address
HANGWEG 27
8052 Graz
Austria

See on map

SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Südösterreich Steiermark Graz
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 473 937,50

Participants (17)

My booklet 0 0