Extended lifetime of road Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) (2ZERO Partnership)

The main goal of this opportunity is to extend the operational life of road Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) by improving the durability and sustainability of their key components and systems. The initiative aims to better understand how electric drive parts age and degrade, and to increase the residual value of BEVs by 20%. It also focuses on developing eco-friendly design concepts that minimize resource use and promote reuse, recycling, and effective End-of-Life strategies. Special attention is given to analysing ageing in BEV sub-systems (except battery cells), creating tools for assessment and prediction, and implementing advanced maintenance and repair strategies. Projects are expected to validate designs that support circular economy principles and higher residual values.

• Deliver a holistic understanding of ageing and degradation of critical BEV components for system integration and user-centric design.

• Achieve around 20% higher residual value for BEVs through extended vehicle lifetime, improving material efficiency and resource stewardship.

• Propose design concepts and lifecycle strategies focused on sustainability, reuse, recycling, and efficient End-of-Life in advanced technology contexts.

• Develop and demonstrate advanced preventive maintenance and repair approaches that reduce resource consumption and environmental impact.

Example projects:

• Developing a software tool for predicting the wear and tear of electric motors in BEVs.
• Designing a modular electric drive system that is easier to repair and recycle at the end of its life.
• Testing new maintenance routines that help extend the usable life of BEV components (excluding batteries).

• Personnel costs for researchers, engineers, and project managers
• Costs of materials and supplies needed for research and development
• Equipment expenses directly related to the project
• Costs for software development and tool creation
• Testing and validation expenses for new designs and strategies
• Travel and subsistence costs for project meetings and collaboration
• Costs for dissemination, communication, and outreach activities
• Subcontracting costs for specialized services
• Project management and administrative expenses

Expenses must fit within the lump sum funding model. Only costs directly related to the project are eligible.

• Budget for this Call: 7.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 1

• Must be a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from three different eligible countries, with at least one partner based in an EU Member State.
• All participants must be legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries, and must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity according to Horizon Europe Annex B and C.
• The project must focus on electric drive system components for road Battery Electric Vehicles, addressing thermal management and power electronics, and tackling ageing and degradation at module and pack level (battery cell testing is excluded).
• Proposals need to address the full integration of these systems under high operational loads, following topic scope and focus.
• Standard Horizon Europe ethics, integrity, exclusion and compliance rules apply.