The consortium consists of relevant stakeholders in the field of electrification: a frontrunning vehicle manufacturer, Tier 1 suppliers, industrial engineering company, battery manufacturer, SMEs, leading universities and research centres specialized on thermal management system technologies.
The Mobility, Logistics and Automotive Technology Research Centre (MOBI) is nested at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and is a leader in electromobility and socio-economic evaluations for sustainable mobility and logistics. The multidisciplinary team of 65 specialists addresses the challenges that the transport value chain faces, by integrating engineering, economic, social and environmental sciences and policy issues. It delivers social, economic & environmental impact studies, decision-making support, modeling & simulation, engineering and standardization. Over the past 5 years the group participated in 21 EU projects, 59 projects with the industry and 61 projects funded by national organisations. From a technological perspective, the centre has a leading position in electromobility, thanks to its experience of over 40 years in electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles R&D. The centre possesses state-of-the-art infrastructure and models for the testing, development and design of components – batteries, supercapacitors, power converters -, vehicle power trains, and inductive and conductive charging infrastructure. Simulation techniques have been developed to define energy-efficient and low-emission power control strategies in hybrid propulsion systems. It offers a unique LCA methodology for the entire automotive sector to analyse the environmental, economical and societal impacts caused by the development and implementation of new vehicle technologies, components, materials and policy measures.
MOBI has an international reputation in the field of Electric Vehicles Standardization, and is involved in several standardization commissions such as IEC TC69, ISO TC22 SC21, IEC TC21, IEC SC23H, CENELEC TC69X and NATO RTO-AVT-166.
Role in the project:
VUB is the coordinator of the SELFIE project. Therefore, VUB will be WP8-leaders ‘Coordination and management’. In addition, VUB will be involved in WP1 regarding defining the specifications for the battery system and cells. VUB-Mobi will also be involved in WP2 & WP3 about components modeling, testing and overall thermal management design. Finally, VUB-Mobi will contribute to WP4 concerning cost assessment and testing of the battery modules and system in WP5.
CRF (Centro Ricerche Fiat), headquartered in Orbassano (Turin) with other branch sites in Italy, was established in 1978. As a focal point for research activities of FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), the mission of CRF is to:
develop and transfer innovative powertrains, vehicle systems and features, materials, processes and methodologies together with innovation expertise in order to improve the competitiveness of FCA products;
represent FCA in European collaborative research programs, joining pre-competitive projects and promoting networking actions;
support FCA in the protection and enhancement of intellectual property.
Role in the project:
The main tasks to be carried out by CRF are the following:
Define the requirements and specifications, at vehicle level, related to the battery system and the associated new thermal management system;
Support the design of the new thermal system loop and the virtual evaluation the system in terms of feasibility and performance on-vehicle;
Optimize and integrate the thermal management control of the battery with the thermal control of the other systems within the vehicle;
Integrate the new battery thermal management components and system on a demonstrator e-vehicle; Testing and final assessment of the system on the demonstrator e-vehicle.
Valeo is an automotive supplier, partner to all automakers worldwide. As a technology company, Valeo proposes innovative products and systems that contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions and to the development of intuitive driving.
In 2017, the Group generated sales of 18.5 billion euros and invested 12% of its original equipment sales in Research and Development. Valeo has 185 plants, 20 research centers, 36 centers and 15 distribution platforms, and at June 30, 2018, employs 115,000 people in 33 countries worldwide. Valeo is listed on the Paris stock exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 Index.
Valeo Thermal Systems is one of of Valeo’s four Business Groups. The strategic objectives of the Thermal Systems Business Group are three-fold: reduce harmful emissions from vehicles with internal combustion engines, increase driving range and battery life for hybrid and electric vehicles, and promote passenger health and well-being.
ValeoThermal Systemsis represented in the Selfie-project by its research and development center (VLV) in France and its affiliate Valeo Climate Control (VCC) in Germany. Jointly both entities will provide solutions for the thermal anagement of the electric vehicle with respect to cabin, powertrain and battery.
Role in the project:
Valeo Thermal Systems will provide
a battery cooler designed to meet ultra-fast charging requirements,
a cold storage system capable of maintaining the cabin comfort while fast charging the battery,
a special front end cooling module to increase the air flow,
and a heat buffer, based on Phase Change Material, that will temporarily increase the performance while fast charging.
Valeo Climate Control is responsible
for design and integration of these innovative components into the thermal management system,
system tests, control and commissioning in the test vehicle.
The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG) is the leading organization of institutes for applied research in Europe, undertaking contract research on behalf of industry, the service sector and the government. At present, Fraunhofer maintains more than 80 research establishments at more than 40 locations throughout Germany. It employs around 24,500 people, mainly scientists and engineers, with an annual research budget of about €2.1 billion. Of this sum, more than 70% of the funding is earned through contract work, either for government-sponsored projects or from industry.
In December 2017, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was awarded the Logo »HR Excellence in Research« from the European Commission in recognition of its outstanding Integrated Human Resources Management. The Logo »HR Excellence in Research« is based on the 40 principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (»EU-Charta & Code«). As Europe’s leading organization for applied research and as project partner many EU-projects, Fraunhofer fulfils these principles. Fraunhofer is one of the first organizations for applied research in Germany to receive the Logo.
Both Fraunhofer IISB and Fraunhofer LBF are partners in the SELFIE project.
Fraunhofer IISB: The Fraunhofer Institute of Integrated Systems and Device Technology (Institut für Integrierte Systeme und Bauelementetechnologie – IISB) in Erlangen is dedicated to front-end process development, as well as development of cognitive power electronic systems integrating artificial intelligence. Further, in its own electric vehicle test center, the Fraunhofer IISB is able to fully test electrical drives, complete powertrains, battery systems and electric vehicles.
Fraunhofer LBF: The Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (Institut für Betriebsfestigkeit und Systemzuverlässigkeit – LBF) in Darmstadt is focusing on the synthesis, processing, analysis and testing of functional and engineering plastics. Additionally, provides versatile test facilities which are complemented by the Virtual Test Lab for numerical simulations and testing.
Role in the project:
IISB: Support in the specifications of the battery system
IISB: BMS software development, optimization and implementation with focus on safety and availability
LBF: Support of the model-based design of the housing and cover plate and analysis on mechanical, thermal and electrical level
LBF: identification of suitable plastic processing technologies for prototyping of the polymer based parts
LBF: Functional testing of housings and cover plates
Enabling future vehicle technologies VIRTUAL VEHICLE is a leading international R&D center for the automotive and rail industries, located in Graz. The center focuses on the advanced virtualization of vehicle development. This linking of numerical simulations and hardware testing leads to a powerful HW-SW system design.
VIRTUAL VEHICLE’s international partner network consists of:
VIRTUAL VEHICLE is the largest COMET funded research center and is also active in 35+ EU-projects. Furthermore, VIRTUAL VEHICLE offers a broad portfolio of contract research for the vehicle development.
Role in the project:
The lead of work package 5 (Safety, Virtual Validation & Testing)
Simulation models for the cooling and heating system
IK4-IKERLAN is a non-profit technological research centre located in Mondragon and Hernani (Guipuzcoa). It has a staff of more than 240 qualified researchers and engineers, with specific strengths in micro-systems, electronics, mechanical engineering, power electronics and energy technology. Its research areas are divided in three operational units: (i) Product Development; (ii) Design and Production Process; and (iii) Energy. From its creation in 1974, IK4-IKERLAN has maintained close relations with the industry from the machinery and capital goods, domestic appliance, electronics and computing, automotive and energy sectors. It works closely with companies to develop innovative products and new tools and methodologies for implementation in design and production processes.
Role in the project:
IK4-IKERLAN will develop and validate a suitable electro-thermal model of the Lithium Ion cells to be used in the design process of the whole battery pack and its thermal management system. This model will emulate the heat generation, accumulation and transfer in the cells depending on the instantaneous body temperature and the electric solicitations.
Due to its expertise using different thermal design simulation tools (from CFD to System Level simulation tools) it will also take part on modeling components to be assessed and used in the battery module and whole system in WP2 and WP3.
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH is Austria’s largest non-university research institute with more than 1250 employees and more than 50 years of experience in laboratory development, research and accredited testing. Among the European research institutes, AIT is a specialist in the key infrastructure topics of the future. The Competence Unit Electric Drive Technologies at the AIT Center for Low-Emission Transport focuses on the development of safe, efficient and green mobility solutions. Over the past decade, it has positioned itself as a recognised development centre for electric drive concepts, helping both manufacturers and suppliers adapt to the electric era. Using sophisticated simulation methods, experts combine the thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of various components of the powertrain in order to be able to simulate the entire vehicle as accurately as possible and to optimise it accordingly.
Role in the project:
Numerical modelling of multiphase flows in heat exchangers with CFD
CFD simulation for thermal management of the battery module
Imecar Elektronik is an engineering company located in Antalya Free Zone (Turkey). It focuses on designing and producing electric vehicles (powertrain and battery packs), in particular e-Buses, passenger vehicles, electric battery systems for Public Transportation and efficient energy storage systems. Imecar mission is to facilitate e-mobility, develop reliable battery systems, deliver complete value chain for battery systems, and maintain a highly skilled engineering team. The Antalya Free Zone facility includes a battery pack assembly plant with automatic welding equipment, computer numerical control (CNC) machines (biggest can work on parts up to 3 m), tooling machines, water cutter, plasma and laser cutters, CNC bending machines, CNC press, laser scanners, a R&D center for battery pack design, electronics and software with 42 engineers. In the near future, Imecar will also cover Turkey with EV charging stations to provide a charging service to electric vehicle owners.
Role in the project:
In this project, Imecar will produce the battery package and will make necessary modifications and developments for the integration of the cooling system. Imecar will assembly the battery package with the cooling system and make it ready for tests.
i2m is a technology and business development consultancy based in Graz, Austria. The company develops and markets its own technology intensive products and also supports its clients developing and marketing their products.
Role in the project:
i2m will assist the development of the preliminary design concepts and will support in outlining the functional architecture of the targeted battery management
The assessment of functional simulation of the demonstrator and optimization of the battery management system based on simplified models will also be a task.
i2m will be responsible for prototyping/ manufacturing of needed Al-foam components for the demonstrator and assist the validation of the full system design approach developed.
Further i2m will take the lead in dissemination and communication activities as well as exploitation of project results among relevant stakeholders
As member of the FEV Group – an international research and development company – FEV Polska provides complete solutions in the field of propulsion systems, supporting leading vehicle manufacturers and other mobility providers. We specialize in the comprehensive development of diesel, hybrid, and electric drives. We do several types of software development, including powertrain control software (for engines, gearboxes, batteries) and driver assistance systems (ADAS). We provide test benches both for engines and entire drivetrains. We actively participate in shaping the future of the automotive industry.
Role in the project:
Development of thermal management components
Integration of newly designed components into a single thermal management system
