Data-driven Circular Economy For E-mobility Ecosystem (2ZERO Partnership)

Expected Outcome:

Expected outcomes area A) Circular economy for Electric Vehicle (EV) powertrains and infrastructure:

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• Minimized cradle to grave/cradle environmental impact of EV drivetrains (excluding batteries at cell level) and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI), especially electro-mechanical components and power-electronics, via design strategies for extended lifetime and reduced usage of CRM, and other materials, particularly those that may hamper high quality recycling (e.g. harmful substances), while ensuring high performance and market acceptability.
• Improved repair, recovery, refurbish and re-use of end-of-first-life drivetrain components and EVCI through accurate and standardised assessment of the health and Remaining Useful Life (RUL), which should inform better design strategies and potential business models.

Expected outcomes Area B) Data-driven life-cycle management of Electric Vehicle (EV):

• Digital-twin based circularity product passport on vehicle level, which is interoperable / compatible with the upcoming battery passport and other relevant product passports foreseen in the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).^[1]
• The ability to track & trace linked to representative EV components (e.g. power electronic converters, rotors, stators of electric motors, thermal management of battery system) by enabling advanced data collection, and the definition of minimum data needed for track & trace use in End of Life (EoL) strategies and feedback to design processes.
• Proven concept and business case for the management of data driven product lifecycle across value chains and supply chains along the entire life cycle.

Scope:

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 7 million for Area A and 5 million for Area B. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of a proposal requesting different amounts.

Scope area A) Circular economy for Electric Vehicle (EV) powertrains and infrastructure:

Improving the circularity of EVs drivetrain components (such as power electronic converters, rotors, stators of electric motors, gear assemblies and battery components excluding battery cells) and respective charging infrastructure is crucial for resource efficiency, sustainability, and compliance with evolving European regulations. Through durable design, predictive maintenance, refurbishment, etc, it is possible to extend the lifespan of critical components reducing material demand and waste, without jeopardising on the needed performance. Advanced monitoring systems can predict failures, enabling proactive repairs, and to inform improved future design strategies, and potential second life applications. Automated processes coupled with design for dismantling can facilitate efficient component recovery, reducing labour costs and improving material separation for high-value recycling.

The projects are expected to build on the results of projects funded under HORIZON-CL5-2021-D5-01-04, HORIZON-CL5-2022-D5-01-09 and HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-04, as well as to consider the methodologies proposed. They are expected to target at least the same technical performance levels for the electric motor as HORIZON-CL5-2022-D5-01-09 under real-life working conditions, while optimising the design for circularity.

Proposals are expected to address all the following research activities:

• Component health monitoring for individual components on their RUL (first and subsequent) including assessment of preferred circularity strategy and expected impact on EV affordability. This includes considering the impact of wear patterns, material fatigue, and thermal stress to optimise circularity strategies and extend the lifespan of components.
• Develop novel design concepts and processes to optimise material usage and extend components’ lifetime such as design for (automated) dismantling, in particular to reduce dependency on critical raw materials or enable use of alternatives.
• Promote broader Circular Economy (CE) adoption and increase the potential of reuse, repair and refurbishment by respective design criteria, means of standardisation (assessment and relevant interfaces), usage of RUL monitoring and better understanding of market potential.
• Ensure economic and environmental sustainability in the analysis of drivetrain performance and charging infrastructure (e.g. efficiency, package, user driving experience, CRM use, CE).

Scope area B) Data-driven life-cycle management of Electric Vehicle (EV):

Vehicle specific data is crucial for advancing circularity through the 9R-strategies in EVs across their lifecycle. However, this data is often not available nor accessible after vehicle production, or not measured in the use phase. Digital passports and track and trace models can improve accessibility to data, enabling predictive maintenance, lifetime extension, and optimised recycling. Harmonised data-sharing policies are essential to ensure interoperability across value chains while maintaining data security and GDPR compliance. Data governance frameworks must regulate ownership, access, and consent to protect privacy and ensure responsible use. The common European data spaces initiative, notably the common European Green Deal data space, and the Data4Energy expert group^[2] offer a foundation for secure, standardised architectures, ensuring trust and controlled data sharing. Furthermore, efficiency in data collection and storage is also critical. By integrating advanced data strategies, EV manufacturers can unlock new business opportunities and improve efficiency, while complying with regulations.

Proposals are expected to address all the following research activities:

• Development and real-life demonstration of concepts for track & trace for representative EV components (e.g. as power electronic converters, rotors, stators of electric motors, or thermal management of the battery system) ensuring access to, at least, the minimum needed data needed ensuring economic viable upscale and especially agreement on how this data can be accessed to enable/improve life-cycle management. The costs and benefits of tracing these data points should also be considered. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data and data management tools produced in the context of this topic are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).
• Development and real-life demonstration of concepts for measuring real-world operational loads (mechanical, electrical, thermal) experienced by the representative EV components complemented by operational and environmental usage of EV that are key for life-cycle management and assessment (LCA).
• Develop and demonstrate in real-life conditions API-based approach to data management of use phase and EoL and open interfaces that enable new business models, allow to better quantify circularity improvements, while allowing its sharing across value chains and supply chains, in a secure and privacy-compliant way.
• Concepts and solutions for product passports based on the use of digital twins (e.g. identification of relevant data points, stakeholders, in connection with existing platforms/passports, such as the battery passport, and platforms e.g. IDIS, IMDS, and Catena-X^[3]) while also considering LCA aspects.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Towards zero emission road transport’ (2ZERO). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership ‘Towards zero emission road transport’ (2ZERO) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs. The topic is open to both to Light Duty and Heavy-Duty electric vehicles.

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[1] Regulation - EU - 2024/1781 - EN - EUR-Lex

[2] Digitalisation and data exchange are key enablers for a modern and resilient energy system - European Commission; https://ad4gd.eu/

[3] IDIS | The International Dismantling Information System; IMDS | International Material Data System; Catena-X