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QUalifying and Implementing a user-centric designed and EfficienT electric vehicle

Project description

User-centric design for energy efficient electric cars

Electric vehicles require innovative, user-centric design. The EU-funded QUIET project aims to develop an energy-efficient electric vehicle with increased real-world driving range. Leveraging innovative technologies for passenger comfort and safety, lightweight materials with improved thermal insulation, and optimised energy management, the project prioritises thermal performance enhancement. This includes cabin heating/cooling systems and user-centric heating/cooling modules. Lightweight glass, composites for windows and the chassis, and seat components crafted from light metals like aluminium or magnesium will be incorporated. The expected result is a 30 % energy reduction, approximately 20 % lighter components, and a minimum 25 % increase in driving range.

Objective

QUIET aims at developing an improved and energy efficient electric vehicle with increased driving range under real-world driving conditions. This is achieved by exploiting the synergies of a technology portfolio in the areas of: user-centric design with enhanced passenger comfort and safety, lightweight materials with enhanced thermal insulation properties, and optimised vehicle energy management.
The developed technologies will be integrated and qualified in a Honda B-segment electric vehicle validator. Among these, a novel refrigerant for cooling, combined with an energy-saving heat pump operation for heating, advanced thermal storages based on phase change materials, powerfilms for infrared radiative heating, and materials for enhanced thermal insulation of the cabin will be investigated. Further focus is put on lightweight glasses and composites for windows and chassis, as well as light metal aluminium or magnesium seat components. Optimized energy management strategies, such as pre-conditioning and zonal cooling/heating the passenger cabin as well as user-centric designed cooling/heating modules will further enhance the thermal performance of the vehicle. These strategies will be seamlessly implemented in an intelligent vehicle control unit enhanced by a novel Human Machine Interface, which, beyond being intuitive and user friendly, will also consider diverse users’ needs, accounting for gender and ageing society aspects.
The objective of QUIET is to reduce the energy needed for cooling and heating the cabin of an electric vehicle under different driving conditions, by at least 30 % compared to the Honda baseline 2017. Additionally, a weight reduction of about 20 % of vehicle components (e.g. doors, windshields, seats, heating and air conditioning) is also addressed. These efforts will finally lead to a minimum of 25 % driving range increase under both hot (+40 °C) and cold (-10 °C) weather conditions.

Call for proposal

H2020-GV-2016-2017

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Sub call

H2020-GV-2017

Coordinator

AIT AUSTRIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GMBH
Net EU contribution
€ 1 013 720,00
Address
GIEFINGGASSE 4
1210 Wien
Austria

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Region
Ostösterreich Wien Wien
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 1 332 831,25

Participants (15)