Hybrid and Electric Propulsion - National R&D Projects by PRESS4TRANSPORT

Sustainable Transport Systems

Hybrid

and Electric

Propulsion National R&D Projects

Table of contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ELECTRIC and HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEMS

Electric Vehicles

Hybrid Vehicles

POLICY BACKGROUND RESEARCH CONTEXT AND PROGRAMMES Some initiatives in EU and in the world

RESEARCH RESULTS The National Research Plan in Italy

The national “Industria 2015” programme

Research in Electric and Hybrid Vehicles: the example of two national projects in Italy

Project 1: HI-ZEV High performance sustainable sport vehicle

Project 2: HI-QUAD Ecological vehicle for urban areas

RESULTS

What next?

OUTLOOK ON RESEARCH

What next?

CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

This publication was produced by the PRESS4TRANSPORT consortium on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research. The European Union, the European Commission or any person acting on their behalf are not responsible for the accurateness, completeness, use of the information contained in this Fiche, nor shall they be liable for any loss, including consequential loss, that might derive from such use or from the findings of the Fiche themselves. Although the authors exercised all reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and the quality of the contents of this publication, the Consortium assumes no liability for any inadvertent error or omission that may appear in this publication. Additional information on the analyzed projects is available on the PRESS4TRANSPORT website at http://www.press4transport.eu/vpo/thematic_fiches.php Created by: PRESS4TRANSPORT Consortium Coordinator: Cybion Srl Responsible Scientific Partner: POMOS – Pole for Sustainable Mobility – Sapienza University of Rome, Italy Authors: Gianluca Fabbri, Maurizio Paschero

problems for the environment

EXECUTIVE

and hydrocarbon resources. The deteriorating air quality, global

SUMMARY

warming issues, and depleting petroleum

resources

becoming

serious

are

threats

modern life and transportation In recent years there has been a

systems.

growing interest in electric and

rigorous

hybrid-electric

vehicles

mainly

Progressively emissions

and

more fuel

efficiency

standards

due to environmental concerns.

stimulating

the

Efforts

toward

development of safer, cleaner,

developing improved propulsion

and more efficient vehicles. It is

systems for electric and hybrid-

now well recognized by industry

electric vehicles applications and

and the scientific community that

and research in this area has

electric and hybrid electric drive

seen

and

train technologies are the most

development.

promising vehicle solutions for

are

directed

significant

remarkable

Certainly one of the achievements technology development

of has

greatest modern

been

the

internal

combustion

engine

the

foreseeable

successful development

are

aggressive

future

research programs

and and are

required to allow the spread of these

technologies.

Moreover,

automobiles. This has lead to a

the organization of transport, the

highly

development

automotive

industry

increasingly

large

the

technological

and

the

understanding

supply

and and

demand factors are key elements

automobiles in use around the

in European transport research

world

and

are

number

progress the

causing

serious

innovation.

The

main

challenge

for

goal

this

document

make growth and sustainability

illustrate the main characteristics

compatible,

environmental

transport

decoupling

impacts

electric

and

hybrid

from

vehicles

giving

economic growth, while assuring

overview

the

and

technologies and introducing the

the

EU policy background. Moreover

competitiveness

innovative

character

European

transport

Economic

crisis,

industry. increasing

two

high

the

general available

budget

programs selected

national

among

scarcity of non-renewable energy

projects

sources, aging, migration

PRESS4TRANSPORT platform will

internal

mobility,

and

urbanisation,

registered

the the

be presented and compared.

and globalisation of the economy are among the other challenges to

faced

Transport

research. To meet this challenge, an increasing number of R&D

PRESS4TRANSPORT

This fiche is produced within the

projects in Europe and around

PRESS4TRANSPORT

the world, have been developed

Press

or are

Sustainable

order

under development to

advanced

study energy

and and

apply vehicle

details:

Office

(Virtual

improve

Surface

Transport

research media visibility on a national

and

regional

level)

these

project. The overall aim of the

projects owe their success to the

project is to assists EU, National

efforts of small and medium-

and

sized

communicate

technologies.

Many

European

(SMEs)

that

courage

enterprises

have work

had

together

networks or consortiums.

the in The

Regional

funded

projects

their

surface

transport research results to the media.

PRESS4TRANSPORT

is funded

by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research under the Seventh Framework Programme Technological

(FP7).

for

Research

and

Development

ELECTRIC HYBRID

and

PROPULSI ON SYSTEMS Introduction

overview of the two technologies is given.

The large number of automobiles in use around the world has

Electric

Vehicles

caused and continues to cause serious

problems

for

EVs makes use of an electric

environment and human life. Air

motor

pollution, global warming, and

electrochemical

the rapid depletion of the Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

cells,

petroleum

flywheels

resources

are

now

for

traction,

whereas

batteries,

ultra-capacitors, are

used

corresponding

energy

In recent decades, the research

system.

and

advantages

development

activities

The

and/or as

problems of paramount concern.

fuel

their

storage

has

over

many the

related to transportation have

conventional internal combustion

emphasized the development of

engine vehicle (ICEV), such as

high-efficiency,

absence

safe

clean,

transportation.

and

Electric

efficiency,

emissions,

high

independence

from

vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric

petroleum, and quiet and smooth

vehicles

operation. Previously, the EV was

(HEVs)

have

been

proposed as a possible solution

mainly

to replace conventional vehicles

existing ICEV by replacing the

ICE and fuel tank with an electric

the

near

future.

the

following paragraphs a general

motor

converted

from

the

drive and battery pack

while

retaining

all

the

other

The

electric

propulsion

components. Drawbacks such as

subsystem includes the vehicle

its heavy weight, lower flexibility,

controller, the power electronic

and

converter,

performance

degradation

the

electric

motor,

have caused the use of this type

mechanical

of EV to fade out. To overpass

driving

this problem, a modern EV is

source subsystem involves the

purposely built, based on original

energy

body and frame designs. This

management

tailored

energy

design

satisfies

specific structure

the

requirements

transmission,

wheels.

The

source,

the

unit,

refueling

greater

electric

climate

electric

auxiliary supply unit.

propulsion. drive

illustrated consists

train in of

modern is

the The

auxiliary subsystem consists of the

energy and

unit.

of EVs and makes use of the flexibility

and

energy

power

steering

control

unit,

the

and

the

unit,

conceptually

Figure three

and major

mentioned

motors

before

have

subsystems: electric propulsion,

advantages

energy source, and auxiliary.

namely:

over

Energy efficient.

electric several ICEs,

Electric motors

convert 75% of the chemical energy from the batteries to power the wheels whereas ICEs only convert 20% of the energy stored in gasoline.

Environmentally friendly. EVs emit no tailpipe pollutants, Figure 1: Modern electric drive train

although the power plant

process of refueling of a tank.

producing the electricity may emit them. Electricity from nuclear,

Fully recharging the battery pack can take 4 to 8 hours. Even a

hydro, solar or wind-powered plants causes no air pollutants.

"quick charge" to 80% capacity can take up to 30 min. This is

Performance benefits. Electric

further complicated by the

motors provide quiet, smooth

current limitation of public

operation and stronger

charging stations and by the

acceleration and require less

need to adapt the electrical

maintenance than ICEs.

system.

Reduce energy dependence. Electricity is a domestic energy source.

Battery cost: The large battery packs are still expensive whereas their life time is still inadequate.

Furthermore EVs gives an interesting chance to face

Bulk & weight: Battery packs are

significant battery-related

heavy and take up considerable

challenges:

vehicle space.

Driving range. Many EVs have limited range, due to the low energy density of batteries compared to the fuel of ICEVs. "Range anxiety" is a label for consumer concern about EV range.

Recharge time. Often EVs have also long recharge times compared with the relatively fast

Anyway, researchers are working on improved battery technologies to increase driving range and decrease

recharging

time,

weight, and cost. These factors will

ultimately

determine

the

future of EVs. They will be better analyzed and discussed in the last paragraph of this document.

Vehicle to Grid (V2G).

Since EVs

to cope with increasing shares of

can be plugged into the electric

variable-output

grid when not in use, there is a

such as windmills and PV solar

potential

for

battery

power

sources

powered

panels. This variability could be

vehicles to even out the demand

addressed by adjusting the speed

for

electricity

feeding

which

electricity into the grid from their

charged,

batteries during peak use periods

discharged.

batteries possibly

are even

while doing most of their charging at night, when there is unused generating capacity. This Vehicle to Grid (V2G) connection has the potential to reduce the need for new power plants. Some concepts see

battery

exchanges

and

battery charging stations, much like

gas/petrol

Clearly

stations

today.

will

require

these

enormous storage and charging potentials,

which

could

manipulated to vary the rate of charging, and to output power

Figure 2: Hybrid vehicle

during shortage periods, much as diesel generators are used for

Hybrid

Vehicles

short periods to stabilize some Conventional

national grids.

internal

Renewable energy.

The current

electricity infrastructure may need

vehicles

combustion

using engines

provide long operating range and good

performance

utilizing

the

high

energy

density

power sources (a primary power

advantages of petroleum fuels

source and a secondary power

but have the disadvantages of

source), have the advantages of

poor

and

both

The

overcome their disadvantages.

fuel

economy

environmental

pollution.

ICEVs

and

EVs

and

main reasons for their poor fuel

Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) in

economy are mismatch of engine

fact

fuel

internal combustion engine and

efficiency

with

the

real

requirement; vehicle

characteristics

dissipation

kinetic

braking,

operation

energy

especially

combine

the

benefits

electric motors (see Figure 2) and can be configured to obtain

during

different

objectives,

while

improved

fuel

such

economy,

operating in urban areas; and

increased power, or additional

low

auxiliary

efficiency

transmission

hydraulic

automobiles driving

current

Battery-

powered EVs, on the other hand, possess some advantages over ICEVs,

such

high-energy efficiency and zero environmental However,

the

for

electronic

devices and power tools.

stop-and-go

patterns.

conventional

power

pollution. performance,

especially the operation range per battery charge, is far less competitive than ICEVs, due to the much lower energy density of the batteries than that of gasoline. HEVs, which use two

Some

the

technologies

advanced typically used

by hybrids include:

Regenerative Braking. The electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain causing the wheels to slow down. In return, the energy from the wheels turns the motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy normally wasted during coasting and braking into electricity,

which is stored in a battery until needed by the electric motor.

electricity from the power grid to

significantly

petroleum

Electric Motor Drive/Assist. The

reduce

consumption

their under

typical driving conditions.

electric motor provides additional power to assist the ICE in

accelerating, passing, or hill climbing. This allows a smaller, more efficient engine to be used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides power for lowspeed driving conditions where internal combustion engines are least efficient.

Automatic Start/Shutoff. Automatically shuts off the

Figure 3: Series configuration

There

are

two

basic

PHEV

configurations:

Series

PHEVs,

also

called

engine when the vehicle comes

Extended Range Electric Vehicles

to a stop and restarts it when the

(EREVs). In Series PHEV (see

accelerator is pressed. This

Figure 3) the powers is provided

prevents wasted energy from

to the wheels only by the electric

idling.

motor; whereas the ICE is used to generate electric power which

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

is used to recharge the energy

(PHEVs) are hybrids with high

storage system or to drive the

capacity batteries that can be

electric motor directly. The main

charged by plugging them into

advantage of this configuration is

an electrical outlet or charging

the opportunity to let the ICE

station. PHEVs can store enough

work in a more efficient fashion.

This kind of vehicle are suitable for those applications where it is needed to drive for a short path and then have a rest period as a bus

line.

possible

In to

accurately

this

case

size

the

increasing

is ICE its

efficiency.

Parallel or Blended PHEVs. In Parallel PHEV (see Figure 4) Figure 4: Parallel configuration

both the ICE and electric motor are mechanically connected to

PHEVs also have different battery

the wheels, and both of them are

capacities,

allowed to propel the vehicle

travel farther on electricity than

simultaneously or independently

others. PHEV fuel economy, like

depending on the instantaneous

that

driving conditions. Pure-electric

regular hybrids, can be sensitive

operation usually occurs only at

low speeds, where the ICE is

conditions, and accessory use.

allowing

electric

driving

some

vehicles

style,

and

driving

really bad performing. Electric traction can be even used to

Benefits and Challenges of the

sustain

PHEV are:

the

ICE

during

fast

transients. Less Petroleum Use. PHEVs are expected to use about 40 to 60 %t

less

conventional

petroleum vehicles.

than Since

electricity is produced primarily

from domestic resources, PHEVs

Re-charging

reduce our dependence on oil.

charging

the

Takes

Time.

battery

Re-

typically

takes several hours, but a "quick Less

Greenhouse

(GHG)

charge" to 80% capacity may

Emissions. PHEVs are expected

take as little as 30 minutes.

than

However, PHEVs don't have to be

conventional vehicles, but the

plugged in to be driven. They

amount

can be fueled solely with gasoline

emit

partly

less

Gas

GHG

generated on

the

depends

fuel

but will not achieve maximum

electrical power plants窶馬uclear

range or fuel economy without

and

charging.

hydroelectric

cleaner

than

used

plants

coal-fired

are

power

plants. Higher Vehicle Costs, Lower Fuel Costs.

likely

cost

竄ｬ1,000 to 竄ｬ6,000 more

PHEVs

will

than

comparable non-plug-in hybrids. Fuel will cost less since electricity is much cheaper than gasoline, but it is unclear whether fuel savings will offset the vehicle cost

when

PHEVs

are

first

introduced. Tax incentives should be available for qualifying PHEVs and encourage their spread

The first Hybrid Vehicle by Ferdinand Porsche in 1898.

POLICY BACKGROUND The

European

Union

has

strategy on clean and energy

quality

life

and

the

Commission presented a White Paper

efficient vehicles aiming to:

proposing

various

measures to overhaul the EU’s 

industrial

transport policy in order to make

approach, based on clean

it more sustainable and avoid

and energy-efficient vehicles

huge economic losses due to

that

the

congestion,

the

accidents.

promote

new

will

boost

competitiveness



pollution The

and

main

policy

European industry;

objectives wer for transport to

help the European industry

become cleaner, more efficient,

in taking globally aleading

including energy efficient, safer

role in the deployment of

and more secure.

alternative

propulsion The

technologies;

White Paper

has led to

various policy initiatives like: 

create

green

economy

based on sustainability that will

support

the

decarbonisation of transport. In 2001 the EU’s transport policy was

facing

number

challenges like road congestion, environmental

pressures

and



improving road through

safety

the European

road

safety action programme and the Communications

eSafety, laying down a set of measures for supporting the development more

intelligent

safer

and

vehicles,

were

adopted,

with

the



Globalisation is accelerating,

overall objective of improving

further challenging Europe’s

road safety and halving the

competitiveness

number of road deaths by

economic growth;

2010;



Oil

prices

and

have

increased

dramatically;



preventing

congestions



promoting intermodality, through

the

programmes I with

the

force, Polo

reduction

and II,

and

Europe;

adoption

Guidelines

framework

generating

Marco

new TEN-T establishing

The Kyoto Protocol came into

legal

for the

funding

of motorways of the sea

emission

commitments

Electrification

transport

(electromobility)

figures

prominently in the

Green Car

Initiative (GCI),

included in

the

European

Recovery

Plan.

Economic DG

TREN

With the aim to rebalance the

supporting

policy

"electromobility"

project

electric

and

towards

stressing

the

economic key

role

innovation

sustainable,

efficient

and of

ensuring

for

large

vehicles

infrastructure

European on

as part of

the

and

Green Car Initiative. There are

competitive mobility in Europe,

measures to promote efficient

in June 2006 the Commission

vehicles

presented a review of the White

2009/33/EC

Paper,

that the

Parliament and of the Council of

2001 objectives are still relevant

23 April 2009 on the promotion

but that, over the last five years,

the

road transport vehicles and in

which

context

states

defining

Europe’s

transport policy has changed:

clean

the of

and

the

Directive European

energy-efficient

the Directive 2006/32/EC of the

European Parliament and of the

Union, the European Investment

Council

Bank

April

2006

(EIB),

industry

and

energy end-use efficiency and

Member States. It is worth to

energy

mention as well the Sustainable

services.

Other

European Union policies are also

Development

Transport

Marine and Maritime Research

research. Following the adoption

Strategy, the European Road

the

Safety Action Programme 2011-

Recovery

2010, the European Agenda for

relevance

the

for

Commission

‘European

Economic

Strategy,

Plan’ on 26 November 2008, a

Freight

‘European Green Cars Initiative

establishment of the European

(EGCI)’

Maritime Transport Area without

has

been

launched

Logistics,

the

involving research on a broad

barriers,

range of technologies and smart

Transport Strategy 2018, the

energy infrastructures essential

ITS

to achieve a breakthrough in

Plan, the Action Plan on Urban

the use of renewable and non-

Mobility,

polluting energy sources, safety

strategy on clean and energy

and traffic fluidity. The initiative

efficient

funded

the

European

the

Directive

and

the

and

Maritime

its

Action

European

vehicles.

that “the next Commission needs

RESEARCH CONTEXT AND

maintain

towards

PROGRAMMES

momentum

low

emission

particular

economy,

and

towards

decarbonising

electricity

the

supply

our

and

the

transport sector – all transport, European transport research and innovation

have

maintain

and

efficiency

role

increase the

to the

different

transport modes as well as their interaction

and

foster

progress. Technological progress, the organisation of transport and understanding

the

supply

and

demand factors are key elements in European transport research and innovation. The European transport roles in

system

serves

key

the transportation of

people and goods in a local, regional, national, European and international

context.

the

same time, it is essential to Europe’s prosperity and closely linked to economic growth and quality of life. In the Political guidelines for the next Commission, it is stated

including maritime transport and aviation,

development electric

well of

cars.

the

clean

and

Decarbonising

electricity supply and transport will also bring additional benefits in terms of security of energy supply”.

The

Commission

Communication ‘Europe 2020 – A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ emphasises that essential elements of the transport

policy

integration

networks,

better

transport

promoting

technologies, infrastructure. flagship

are

and Two

initiatives

clean

upgrading of of

the this

strategy, ‘Innovation Union’ and ‘Resource efficient Europe’ are of particular relevance to Transport research. The

concept of

the

Innovation Union recognises the

needs

need

unsustainable.

strengthening

innovation

chain

this

totally

Transport

2050

calls for a reduction of CO² from

launching a new approach, the

transport of at least 60 per cent

European

by 2050. A major part of the

Innovation

Partnerships,

the

today

and

which

pool

measures designed to help the

efforts and expertise in research

EU reach this goal is the major

and

push to convert drivers in cities

innovation

will

focus

results, outcomes and impacts,

and rapid modernisation in key

guzzlers. Transport 2050 aims to

transport-related areas such as

half

cities and mobility. Further, a

conventionally

New White Paper on Transport

cities by 2030 and phase them

has

out by 2050.

been

adopted

the

HEVs,

away

the

from

gas-

number fuelled

cars

Commission on 28 March 2011, which lays down a long term

Green eMotion

strategy that would allow the transport sector to meet its goals with a 2050 horizon.

The EU Transport 2050 Roadmap aims to break transport’s current

The four year long project ‘Green

oil

e motion’ is part of the European

dependency

mobility currently

and

grow

transport is

allow because 96%

dependent on oil for its energy

Green

Cars

funded Research

Initiative,

under and

the

and

Seventh

Development

Framework Programme. It plans

Some initiatives in EU and in

to compare the twelve on-going

the world

regional

and

national

electromobility initiatives in eight different EU Member States and compare the different technology

approaches. The objective is to ensure environmentally friendly surface

transport

through

the

transport

activities

greening products

operations.

In order to compare different initiatives World,

in Europe and in the

this

initiatives different

section

some

undertaken

countries

concerning

electric and hybrid vehicle

will

be illustrated.

and

Research

will

concentrate on vehicles, vessels, infrastructures

and

their

interactions

with

special

emphasis

system

optimisation.

Activities

will

explore a wide range of possible innovative

solutions

technologies reduction local

for

and pollution

(greenhouse

emissions,

vibration, maximisation

noise

and of

gases, and wash), energy

conversion and rationalisation of energy use.

Portugal

is one of the first

countries in the world to have an integrated

policy

for

electric

mobility and a national charging network for Electric Vehicles. By the first semester of 2011, a wide public network of 1 300 normal

and

fast

charging

points will be fully implemented in the main 25 cities of the country, thus allowing electric vehicle users the ability to travel throughout the comfort

and

country in safety.

all The

Portuguese

Government

attracting private investors and

launched in early 2008 a national

benefiting the users, contributing

Programme for Electric Mobility

to a faster expansion of the

called

system. In the top of the system

innovative approach to electric

there is a “Managing Authority”

mobility. It has an open-access

which acts as a Clearing House

and market-oriented philosophy

and intermediates the financial,

and, as a result, it proposes a

information

fully

Mobi.E

based

integrated

interoperable retailer

and

model.

Rather

and

energy

flows

and

totally

among users, electricity sellers,

system,

multi-

operators of charging points, and

multi-operator than

the

providers

any

other

local

associated service. Additionally,

experience, Mobi.E is deploying a

several measures were taken to

national electric mobility system.

increase the demand for EVs and

However,

HEVs in Portugal:

the

system

was

designed to be scalable and used in

multiple

geographies,



EVs are fully exempt from

overcoming the current situation

both the Vehicle Tax due

of lack of communication among

upon

purchase

(Imposto

the

Sobre

Veículos)

and

different

experiences deployed

electric that

mobility

are

Europe.

annual

being

(Imposto

Mobi.E

Tax

Único

Income

Tax

Circulação);

allows any individual the access to any provider of electricity in

Circulation

the



Personal

any charging point explored by

provides

any

EUR 803 upon the purchase

service

operator.

This

the value chain, with the goal of

allowance

of EVs;

ensures transparency, low entry barriers and competition along



EVs are fully exempt from the 5%-10% company car



22 

tax rates which are part of

the

the Corporation Income Tax;

Platform" (NEMP) which is an

The Budget Law provides for

initiative

the

into a leading market for electric

depreciation costs related to

mobility, with about 1 million

the purchase of EVs for the

electric vehicles on its streets by

purpose

2020. As the latest development

increase

Corporation

Electric

develop

Mobility

Germany

Income Tax;

(October 2010) DBM

the first 5,000 EVs to be

electric Audi A2 completes record

sold in Portugal will receive

setting 372-mile (599 km) drive

a 5,000€ incentive fund, and

on a single charge.

the

Energy's

Cash-for-Clunkers

program



"National

grants

Spain

started

2010

additional 1,500€ fund if a

consortium

internal combustion engine

development of electric vehicles.

vehicle built before 2000 is

The

delivered when acquiring the

initiative

new EV;

technologies

The

Portuguese

also

commit

State play

did a

dedicated

main

objective is

to that

the

this

research will

permit

electric vehicles to be integrated into

the

power

grid

and

pedagogic role and defined

introduced

that EVs will have a 20%

market.

share of the annual renewal

spearheaded by Seat, already

of public car fleet, starting in

enjoys

2011.

Ministry

into

The

the of

the

Spanish

VERDE

project,

backing Science

the and

Innovation, and is financed by Also

Germany

Sustainable German

is investing in

Mobility

government

the CENIT (the National Strategic

the

Consortia for Technical Research

launched

promoted by the Ministry of Science

and

and Innovation) programme and

its introduction from 2020. It is

has a budget of around Euro 40

also looking at mass use of the

million.

Electric

Vehicle,

impact,

the

its

services

communications possible

Various

projects

involving

societal and

required

and

challenges

and

opportunities.

different European states aim at the integration of the HEVs into smart grids such as the G4V and ELVIRE projects.

The

ELVIRE project has a

budget

around

Euro

million, runs for three years, and The

G4V (Grid for Vehicles)

project has a budget of around Euro 2.5 million, will run for 18 months and involves the main European sector players: ENEL, RWE, EDF, EDP and Vattenfall. Its aim is to evaluate the largescale impact of the integration of the

Electric

Vehicle

into

the

electricity grid infrastructure and to establish recommendations for

also

involves

Renault

and

Continental,

Volkswagen.

The

aim of this project is to develop the

necessary

technology,

solutions and services to permit constant interaction between EV drivers, their energy suppliers and the smart grid. A consumeroriented proposed, platform

development with

that

communication

also

services optimises

between

users

and their vehicles. Of particular note

the

development

communication

develop a new approach for the mobility in the urban

infrastructure

area

able

satisfy

the

with the energy supplier, charge

expressed and latent needs

control

of citizens;

and

system

tariffs.

Different possible scenarios are



define

the

technological

being investigated, taking into

research

account

needs such as to define an

security

and

interoperability.

and

industrial

industrial policy for medium and long term capacity to

In 2011

Italy

also started a

develop

Technological Platform in order to fostering an holistic approach

Italian

Electrified

Technological



define

and

approach

technical

and

industrial

interested

organizations

taking

proactive

actions, aimed to identify and deal

with

products, services capable

new

needs

infrastructure continuous to

for and

innovation

promote

the

electrified mobility in Italy. In particular the Italian Electro Mobility

Technological

Platform

(ITALEMP) community wants to:

and to

coherent

real

needs

expressed by ensuring the

community of companies, people research

implement

integrated

Mobility

Platform

necessary

technical skills;

to Electrified Mobility Research. The

the

results

and

impact

employment. 

develop an integrated Italian network

with

strong

relations with other national platforms,

European

initiatives (e.g. Green Car Initiative) organization

and (e.g.

national Eposs)

having a European relevance in this field.

The

Italian

Platform

Electrified

aims

Mobility

pro-actively

economy,

regards

mobility

and energy savings associated

contribute to collectively define

with it.

The new approach for

an emerging R&D area dedicated

electrified mobility in urban area

to changing the current approach

will

to urban mobility in order to

propositions:

focused

value

define the needs of innovation, to provide national

new products and infrastructures

ď&#x201A;ˇ

and

The

essence

strengthen

real

user

indirectly connected); Identification

IEMP

technologies

and

culture

innovative

ď&#x201A;ˇ

the

needs (explicit, non explicit,

coordinate national efforts in a European context.

Identification

new an

infrastructural

ecological mobility and to detect

system for identifying new

and analyze the needs of citizens

innovative solution to satisfy

in order to allow Italian industry

users expectations;

to have a competitive advantage and

exploiting

new

market

In order to achieve the general

opportunities of the global green

objectives of the national plan

economy.

ITALEMP

for electrified mobility, will be

want to define a national plan

defined a number of Research

whose

Areas

Therefore,

implementation

will

consistent

dramatically affect the mobility

following topics:

Urban Mobility:

urban

creative, integrated

centers

through

innovative approach.

and The

implementation of this plan will be in 5-10 years and put the nation

top

the

green

with

the

Defining a

project for urban mobility for people

and

goods

implemented on a number of Italian cities and / or places are particularly

sensitive

the

environment

(smaller

Italian

islands) and tourist attractions. Areas

Research:

Personal

Mobility, Comfortable Multimodal solutions,

Public

Demand

Transport,

Management,

Business

Models,

New

Infomobility,

New Services etc.

Grid of

new

New

Vehicles:

Define

requirements

for

electrified

mobility from which to derive the functional specifications for new vehicle

concepts

capable

meeting real needs and latent in an

Integration:

Definition

Concepts

integrated

concept

urban

transport.

integrated

Define the key technologies for

management methodologies for

the development of electrified

electrified

vehicles,

vehicles and launch a coherent

considered

structural

national development strategy of

elements of a Smart Grids. Areas

the supply chain to ensure its

Charging,

competitiveness through specific

Infrastructures,

industrial projects and innovative

Research:

Quick

Charging Bidirectional

Trading,

Billing

Concepts, etc.

Vehicle

Social Benefits: and

implement

Develop

methodologies

for the assessment of electrified mobility

prospective economic

quality

and benefits

assess related

life the to

public health. Areas of Research: Development of Safety Concepts, Setup

Standards,

Perception, Benefits, etc.

R&D projects. Areas of Research:

Economic

Acoustic Health

Weight,

Aerodynamics,

Safety, Engine Efficiency, etc.

Energy

Storage

Systems:

Define batteries

providing tripled energy, tripled lifetime at a third of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s costs. Areas of Research: Cell Degradation,

Recycling

Processes, Cell Materials, PostLithium

Technology,

Concepts, etc.

Reuse

System Optimized flows

Integration: control

for

architecture. based

which

â&#x20AC;&#x153;clean

electronsâ&#x20AC;?,

commonly

means

electrical

electricity from renewable energy

platforms

sources, will raise among users.

new Novel

energy

request

improved

system

The

whole

chain

current

integrations. Areas of Research:

conversion should be considered:

Component Efficiency, Solutions

power

plants,

for Heating, Venting and Cooling,

AC/DC

inverter,

Light-Weight Materials, etc.

storage

Transport

Systems:

Road

Infrastructures

and

communication

tools,

electronics,

Generation,

vehicles with

Models, etc

communications.

electrical

motors.

Board,

Site

New

Micro

Distribution

Driving

Systems based safety and car to x

slow

Areas of Research: Photo Voltaic

vehicles. Integration of electric

Automated

charge/discharge modes, power

transport.

grid,

energy-power

systems

encouraging the use of electrical

other modes of

electrical

Areas

Research:

ITS

for

Energy

Efficiency,

Sensors

for

Autonomous

Driving,

Road

Infrastructures Measures, Wide

It is also interesting to analyze the situation in

China

because

many electric vehicle companies are

looking

leader

China

future

implementation

electric around

the car the

world. In April 2009, Chinese

Signage, etc.

Energy Production and

officials announced their plan to make China the world's largest

Management: convergence

The

producer of electric cars. The

renewable

Renault-Nissan Alliance will work

energies and electrified mobility

with China's Ministry of Industry

appears to be a strong issue. The

and

Information

Technology

(MITI) to help set up battery

battery electric cars and 50.000

recharging networks throughout

yuan

the city of Wuhan, the pilot city

hybrids. In 2009, a company

in the country's electrical vehicle

named BYD delivered 48 F3DM

pilot program. The corporation

plug-in hybrids in the country.

plans to have electric vehicles on

The BYD F3DM is a compact

the market by 2011. In 2010, it

plug-in

is reported that China, aiming to

with an all-electric range of 64 to

improve air quality and reduce

97 km and a

reliance on fossil fuels, is going

powertrain that can extend the

to commence a two-year pilot

range

program of subsidizing buyers of

China also plans to expand a

alternative- energy cars in the

project of encouraging the use of

five cities: Shanghai, Changchun,

energy-efficient and alternative-

Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Hefei.

energy

The subsidy will be as much as

transport.

60.000

yuan

(6.450

â&#x201A;Ź)

for

(5.375

hybrid

â&#x201A;Ź)

for

plug-in

compact

sedan

hybrid electric

additional

vehicles

480

km.

public

RESEARCH RESULTS

In this section are discussed and

nevertheless consensus that a

compared

push

two

high

budget

for

innovation

and

projects developed in Italy are

competitiveness is necessary to

discussed

counteract

and

compared.

the

poor economic

Moreover a brief introduction on

growth that the country has been

the research system in Italy and

facing in the past years. The

on the new National Research

budget will come partly from the

Plan will be made.

national

The

(Fondo

National Research

Plan

in Italy

research

fund

Agevolazione

Ricerca, FAR)

and partly from

the

centres’

research

own

Italian

resources. An additional funding

new

of € 900 million may be added to

research plan (Piano Nazionale

support industrial districts. The

della Ricerca, PNR) with the aim

mechanism for selecting projects

to bring the overall investments

will be based on calls and will

in RTD from currently 0.56% of

include systems for ceasing the

GPD – which is among the lowest

brain

in the EU - to 1.53% by 2013.

researchers from abroad.

This is an ambitious project in

The plan, long waited for, was

the current economic scenario

designed

where a tight spending policy

process

cannot

stakeholders, both

April

government

2011,

the

launched

waived.

There

drain

after

and

involving

attract

consultation the

main

at national

and regional level. It envisages

technological platforms that will

two action lines – a central and a

coordinate their activities with

regional one. The Ministry will

the

manage

medium-

platforms, support to the high-

long term strategic actions in

tech districts, building poles of

basic

excellence

directly

the

research

and

enabling

correspondent

European

(similar

technologies. The regions will be

districts

but

in charge of driving the local

technological

industrial systems towards the

investments

adoption of innovation. Specific

infrastructure,

actions are envisaged for high-

backbone”.

the

focused

developments), in

technological

the

“innovation

tech sectors. The Ministry will keep the responsibility for the technical

and

scientific

assessment of the projects and

The national “Industria

2015" programme

the overall strategic guidance. A yearly assessment will be carried out to check the progress and the alignment to the expected outcomes. The rationale behind this plan is to focus on strategic areas and overcome scattered

fragmentation investments,

looking

for integration of competences and

consistency

policies

among the

the

various

stakeholders. This will turn into support

the

national

One

the

most

important

research program in Italy is the so

called

“Industria

2015”

proposed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development. The program

has

strategic

established

lines

for

development competitiveness

the the and

the

future

production systems in Italy. The

registered

aim

PRESS4TRANSPORT platform.

stimulate projects

the

program

industrial to

create

innovation new

cross

the

The selected projects are the following:

sector industries (which integrate manufacturing,

advanced



Project

HI-ZEV

performance

services and new technologies)

High

sustainable

sport vehicle;

to encourage the development of specific types of products and services with a high content of



HI-QUAD,

sustainable

the country: energy efficiency sustainable

ecological vehicle having a

innovation in strategic areas for

(200M€),

Project

system

mobility

and

energy

(180M€) and new technologies

propulsion an

flow

innovative

management

system.

for the made in Italy (190M€). The actors involved, in addition to the production sectors, are national

and

local

administrations, universities and research institutions.

The

two

characterized

projects from

are

having

similar budget (~10 M€) and for involving

public-private

partnerships. Project 1 aims to develop two prototypes of an Research in Electric and

ecological sport vehicle having a

Hybrid Vehicles: the example

sustainable

two national projects

in Italy

propulsion

system

(full electric and full hybrid) and an

innovative

energy

flow

management system; Project 2 Two projects participating to the

has the goal to identify and build

Industria 2015 programme have

an hybrid urban vehicle which,

been selected among the ones

directly or indirectly, can give a

contribution to the solution of mobility problems in both the small urban areas and the big metropolitan areas. Moreover the two projects are an example of a national

application

potentially

having

transferability

European level.

a at

Project

HI-ZEV

the

development

quality

products conceived and designed in Italy.

High

performance

sustainable sport vehicle

this

regard,

should

remarked that in the automotive

field

the

technological

innovation, even the one to be applied

large

scale

productions, mainly comes "from above", since it is first tested on Behind the HI-ZEV project lays an

analysis made

Italian

Pole for Sustainable Mobility

high performance vehicles like the ones proposed in the HI-ZEV Industrial Innovation Project.

(POMOS), active in the field of transfer

academia

knowledge to

from

industry,

encouraging the aggregation of small and medium enterprises

The principal issue addressed in

involved in the field of Ultra Low

this

Emission

electrical

Vehicles

(ULEV) and

project

the

and

hybrid

Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV).

propulsion

More precisely, a potential area

development of two prototypes

of the market (i.e. luxury sports

of sport cars (one full electric

cars) has been identified in the

and one full hybrid). The final

international

(UAE

goal of this project is therefore

market, but also EU and USA) to

the development of two versions

encourage

develop

of an ecological sport vehicle

innovative design platforms for

having an sustainable propulsion

scenario

and

pure

the

system and an innovative energy

the automotive sector. The HI-

flow

management

ZEV

large

number of

solutions

will

system.

project

partnership

technological

composed of medium, small and

studied

micro

and

analyzed in the project and these

enterprises,

research

centres and universities.

solutions are finalized to make

the

final

product

highly

innovative and competitive. The strategic

HI-ZEV

Industrial

Innovation

Project

has

approach

which

combines

traditional

manufacturing

production with the development of new services and technologies while

exploring

the

between

synergies

The HI-ZEV Consortium: the kick off of the project.

manufacturing

companies,

service

industrial

companies,

than

entities

are

and

involved

with

consortium. The project kicked

cross-sector chains of production

off in January 2011 and will last

integrating

36 months. The budget of the

academia.

advanced

research This

network,

manufacturing, services

the

HI-ZEV

new

project

both

industrial production of the final

companies and research centres

prototype - an ecological sport

with proven experience skills in

vehicle

different fields both at national

propulsion

and

innovative

technologies,

and

includes

international

level.

This

with

9.5

Mâ&#x201A;Ź.

The

sustainable

system

and

energy

an flow

union of diverse skills should

management system - is also

achieve a significant impact in

foreseen

the

end

this

project.

Co-funded

Italy's

• Intelligent management of the

Industria 2015 National program,

regenerative braking;

a large number of technological

•

solutions

and

structural materials produced

analyzed in the project. These

through costumed technological

solutions are set to make the

processes;

final product highly innovative

•

and competitive. More precisely,

covering

the main aspects to be finely

through costumed technological

tuned in this project are:

processes.

•

will

Hybrid

studied

parallel

propulsion

Light

aluminium

Innovative

and

materials

alloy

reusable produced

plug-in

having

low

consumption and emissions and high performances, capable to produce zero emissions; •

Modular

purely

electrical

propulsion in alternative to the hybrid one; •

Purely

electrical

active

stability and traction control; •

Lithium

accumulator

polymer pack

with

intelligent management system integrated with the propulsion system for the temperature and the

voltage

accumulators

control and

the

electronic

management of the charge;

Contact: gianluca.fabbri@pomos.it

Project 2:

HI-QUAD

Ecological vehicle for urban areas

The final goal of this project is the

development

sustainable system

propulsion

and

energy

ecological vehicle having a

flow

innovative management

system. The main idea of this project is to

identify

vehicle

which,

directly or indirectly, can give a contribution to the solution of mobility problems in both the small urban areas and the big

A large number of technological

metropolitan

solutions

areas.

The

will

studied

and

attention is focused on the issues

analyzed in the project and these

solutions are finalized to make

pollution, energetic

traffic

congestion,

recyclability, consumption

and which

the

final

innovative

product and

highly

competitive

remarkably penalize the lifestyle

the project is foreseen the study

in the cities and on the aspect

and

related to the easy management

different

and the vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maintenance

allow to make the product an

which indirectly contribute to an

highly-integrated

objective

competitive

improvement

environmental context. addressed mainly

The in

and

the

economical

principal

issues

this project are

sustainable mobility.

urban

the

implementation techniques

particular,

that

will

and system;

the

main

in aspects

which will be addressed in this project are:

thermo-electric

propulsion

with

hybrid

-smallest size which will improve

fuel

mobility in the traffic and parking

low

consumption and low emission;

opportunities;

- hybrid battery pack;

- innovative air conditioning

- Electrical propulsion (noiseless

systems with high performance;

and smooth to drive);

Frame:

structural

material

made of aluminium alloy and

- Performances and full speed

innovative entirely recyclable

highest

covering materials;

products, that will allow to move

- Innovative pressure sensor

out of the city;

for

the

engine

then

- Reduced fuel consumption and polluting

than

involved

available

combustion

chamber.

other

entities the

are

HI-QUAD

consortium. The project will last

agents,

optimization

due

the

the two

integrated propeller and to the innovative battery pack;

36 months and will end in 2014. The budget of the project is of 10

- Better stability;

Mâ&#x201A;Ź. - Costs very close to big scooter; The

final

particularly market and industrial

product

will

attractive

for

the

for

the

production

following of

the

Great

attention

given

aesthetics of the vehicle (care of shapes and details) alloy and

prototype, due to the following

innovative

advantages with respect to the

covering.

entirely

recyclable

actual competitors:

Contact: andrea.vignoli@hi-quad.it

the

RESULTS

product

and

the

driving

pleasantness. Hence, it is greatly important to adopt vanguard

It is very interesting to compare

technical features, with a high

the

social “visibility”.

two

projects

though

turned to two different markets

Besides these considerations it

(urban

can

hybrid

vehicles

and

observed

safeguard

they

common.

has reached in the last years the

characterized by

status of an important highlight

a network of SMEs, they have a

feature with a relevant social and

similar

commercial value.

much

They are both

budget

and

they

are

the

electric and hybrid sport cars), have

that

environment

funded by the same program. As

The described project represents

seen the HI-ZEV project will lead

a highly remarkable step forward

to the production of two sport

with respect to the traditionally

cars characterized by the hybrid

employed solutions in this sector.

and full electric propulsion and

It has to be observed, in fact,

by an attractive “Made in Italy”

that in the last years a certain

design.

technological

The

been remarked even in this niche

sport

cars

market,

stagnation

has

traditionally well represented in

which,

traditionally

and

the richest markets, has got a

especially

was

remarkable increase in market

characterized by an outstanding

shares during the

innovation spirit.

last years.

the

'60s,

Italy is traditionally highly active

By now, the main protagonists of

in this sector, especially in the

this sector act as they reached a

development of peculiar models,

technological asymptote, with an

with

insufficient

will

changes

and

innovative

solutions, and

“architectural” at

the

leading

bring

the

innovation

edge of technology. This niche in

required by our times. This is a

the

very niche sector and therefore

fact, the technical contents of

characterized by small numbers,

marketplace

privileges,

but

some

â&#x20AC;&#x153;daringâ&#x20AC;? innovations fear

big

margins

exists

with

for

eminent

without risks

strength of penetration even in the

widely

having

sectors.

term

The

pervasive

innovative

market

prototype

investments. Instead, those risks

proposed in HI-QUAD will be able

are typical of the large scale

to give a contribution to the

production, where the error and

solution of mobility problems in

risk margin is major due to the

both small urban areas and big

high numbers into play.

metropolitan

The

attention is focused on the issues

innovations,

technical

here proposed, necessarily have

pollution,

to come from above (this applies

energetic

to every market sector), to be

remarkably penalize the lifestyle

then applied at the lower levels.

in the cities. Aspect related to

Innovations

Airbag,

the

electro-

maintenance of the vehicle will

stability

ABS,

controls,

traffic

The

especially if radical like the ones

areas.

congestion,

recyclability,

and

consumption

management

which

and

the

actuated gearboxes, all followed

indirectly

contribute

this path. And so it will probably

objective

improvement

the

be, for the electric propulsion,

environmental

the brake-by-wire and steer-by-

context.

wire

on.

Results from the two projects

Moreover, it has to be observed

shown that both the proposed

that the typical prestige of the

projects have the similar goal of

high

developing a sustainable vehicle,

systems,

and

performance

car

niche

confers its appeal even to the

with

new

innovative contents.

eco-compatible

highly

and

economical

technological

and

technologies. In such way, these

The goals to achieve are the

technologies

reduction of the environmental

gain

greater

impact and the improvements of

the dynamic performance and

products and markets.

energy

The participation of SMEs to the

efficiency,

associated

new

technology

with a winning image, especially

in the international markets. All

outsource

this will be achieved by means of

their

research

electric

their

networks,

and

hybrid

propulsion

projects

will

based

help

research,

them

increase

efforts,

extend

better

exploit

and

acquire

and by innovative solutions. To

research

this aims, high-level professional

technological know how, bridging

and instrumental resources will

the gap between research and

have to synergically concur.

innovation.

The

planned

SMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representing in fact 99%

activities of industrial research

of all enterprises in Europe and

will act as the input for the

contribute more than two thirds

realization of the final prototype.

of European GDP and provide 75

The

million jobs in the private sector.

results

two

the

projects

characterized

are

both

cooperation

the large

They

results

are

therefore

key

implementation of the renewed

number of partners and by the

Lisbon

great

growth and employment.

effort

environment

that

innovation,

R&D

creating

strategy

for

economic

encourages and

the

We can conclude that the two

participation of SMEs .

projects

In fact, one of the main aim of

example of how to do research

the

at a high level thanks to the

strengthen

the

represent

concrete

innovation capacity of small and

collaboration

medium-sized

enterprises

partners that would not be able

(SMEs)

and

their

to do it alone. In this way,

contribution to the development

combining their strengths and

Europe

many

small

with the help of the national

how to

allow the subsequent

fund, it is possible to achieve the

industrial

necessary excellence and know

developed prototypes.

production

the

EUROPEAN POLICY IMPLICATIONS 42

What next? Over recent years, the transport

the following years.

industry has changed under the

approach

will

impact of the internal market

focusing

major

and of globalisation. Transport is

economic

responding to societal concern

high-technology

industry,

socio-

challenges

crucial to its further development

accordingly to these challenges

and

competitiveness,

European

environmental

and social agendas.

order

and

will

making research and innovation

conducive

This new based

structured

address

the

innovation cycle in its integrity, while

respecting

the

rules

competition. In this way the Transport theme takes

holistic

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;transport

systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; approach in addressing the

challenges

innovation

and

the

dimension,

considering the interactions of To

reflect

the

new

political

context and the needed priority a new approach will be adopted for

vehicles or vessels, networks or infrastructures and the use of transport services.

Such

approach

will

development

necessitate the integration and

clean

vehicles and vessels.

demonstration of new concepts, knowledge and technologies, and the support to bringing them to the

market

within

socio-

economic and policy context.

annual strategy will focus on this approach

and

mobility

Safe and seamless

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The optimisation of the global efficiency and safety of the transport system (by

For the period 2012-13, a multi-

new

smooth

transition towards the future EU research and innovation funding should be ensured.

application Transport

use

achieve critical mass, leverage effect and EU added-value, the strategic research and innovation

Intelligent

Systems

logistics),

making

and

efficient

infrastructure

and

network capacity, with the aim

Based on the policy context, to

offering

seamless mobility

safe

transport to

all

and and

European

citizens, as transport is also crucial for social inclusion.

priorities in 2012 will focus on three

major

socioeconomic

challenges:

3. Competitiveness

1. Eco-innovation decarbonisation transport

system

efficient

use

resources,

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

The

the

and

natural

i.e.

eco-

innovation in all transport modes

and

the

further

through

innovation

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

The

strengthening

the

competitiveness of European transport

industry

innovation, from emerging

through

competition

developed economies

and is

intensifying

global

economy.

stakeholders, and shall comply with

the

â&#x20AC;&#x153;4i

following

principlesâ&#x20AC;?: A thorough approach need to be taken in order to identify the most promising technology areas

and

innovation

prospects

Internal market:

Create a

genuine

European

Single

attain the three major challenges

Transport Area by eliminating all

mentioned above.

residual barriers between modes

It will take into account the

and national systems;

consultations

with

Commission

services,

Transport MS/AS

all

Advisory and

(including

the the

Group,

stakeholders

the

Transport

Technology Platforms of the four

Innovation: address

EU research

the

full

cycle

research,

innovation

deployment

to of and

integrated

way;

transport modes; and the EGCI Advisory

Group),

which

will

Infrastructure:

ensure the added-value at EU

infrastructure

level,

common

ERA

dimension

complementarity

policy

vision

and

needs

sufficient

national

resources. The costs of transport

programmes and

synergies of

should be reflected in its price in

the

and

an undistorted way

activities

with

and

EU transport

topics

proposed.

The development and spread of R&D activities for HEVs shall be based needs

upon

involving

evaluation all

relevant

International:

Opening

third

markets

country

transport services, products and investments continues to have high priority.

OUTLOOK ON

RESEARCH

45 What next? The electric and hybrid vehicle

around for decades. But rising

market and the commercial and

climate-change

industrial models planned in the

fuel-efficiency standards, billions

few

years

are

well

fears,

government

tougher

subsidies,

and

publicized. It is anticipated that

rivers of venture capital appear

the

these

to be creating a tipping point

vehicles is expected to double for

that could move these kind of

cars, and the total market is

cars

expected to quintuple in the next

fringes

10 years.

Cutting down carbon emissions

total

Progress

market

the

for

electric

and

hybrid vehicle industry continues to

transformed

breakthroughs

both

by design

and technology. The concept of sustainables cars, which run on large rechargeable batteries as opposed to gas-powered internal combustion engines, has been

from

the

into

transportation

the

mainstream.

has become a growing concern for

policy

manufacturers,

makers, and

car

building

designers in our present world. One of the biggest issues that needs to be investigated are the energy storage devices. Batteries as energy storage devices have taken the centre stage in the search for alternative sources of

energy and development of low-

in EV applications, because of its

cost hybrid electric vehicles.

(then)

A major breakthrough in both renewable electric

energy

vehicle

and

hybrid

research

relatively

memory effect. However,

dependent on the availability of

hydride

batteries

surplanted

with

high

energy

high-power

capability, long cycle life and no

the

nickel-metal

system by

has the

been superior

density. In the 1990s, significant

performance offered by lithium

developments

ion batteries for this application.

chemistries,

low

battery cost

Currently

the

technology

methods have made the Electric

based battery (including lithium

Vehicle

polymer).

(EV)

alternative

practical

environment

polluting cars. Batteries

other

energy

storage devices are used to store the electricity that powers the electric motor in Although

the

electricity

vehicle.

production

may contribute to air pollution, an EV is a zero emission vehicle and

its

exhaust

motor or

immediate

produces

emissions

environment.

no the The

nickel-metal hydride battery was considered at one time to be one of the most promising candidates

the

has

lithium-ion

the

highest

energy density compared with other

and

dominant

construction and new recharging

popular

rechargeable

batteries and is widely available in the consumer market of cell phones and laptop computers. Early problems of overheating and

combustion

overcome. regarded

are

The as

environmentally manufacturing

being

battery

being

friendly, and

relatively but

particularly

recycling costs are high as little metallic lithium is recovered from the

reprocessing,

currently

estimated at a cost of around â&#x201A;Ź1000/ton. Unless these costs

are reduced this could be one reason for the possible decline of this type of battery in the very long

term

energy

storage

alternative technology.

However, in the short to medium

term, lithium-ion based batteries will continue to become more popular as they

supplant the

older nickel based rechargeable technologies represent research

and

the in

Battery

they

core

the

breakthroughs

will the years. are

critical, but it is also important to keep in mind that a widespread and

robust

transportation

To achieve this goals the EU is to support

four-year,

â&#x201A;Ź41.8

million partnership to accelerate the development and up-take of HEVs across Europe.

infrastructure based primarily on

HEV's will require advances not

eMotion initiative will work in

only in batteries, but in many

partnerships

other

partners from a wide range of

areas

electronics,

such

next-gen

power vehicle

industry

example,

the

with

Green

forty

segments

two

including

designs, consumer behavior, new

utilities

business models, and perhaps

manufacturers,

most of all, a smarter, cleaner,

universities and technology and

and more secure electricity grid.

research institutions.

firms,

electric

car

municipalities,

The aim of the initiative is to exchange and develop know-how and

experience

selected

regions within Europe as well as



Reduction

facilitate the market roll-out of

and

HEVs in Europe.

near-zero-emission levels in view

local

exhaust

emissions

reach

of the compliance with future Other research and innovation

goals for the next future will be:

Contribution



CO2

reduction emissions from surface

legislation

European

and

international levels and to allow national

and

local

meet

their

authorities

air

quality

engagements.

transport operations aligned with new policy targets as set out in the

Climate

and

Renewable

Energy Package of 2009.In the short to medium term (before 2020) reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10% compared to 1990

levels.

reducing

Beyond

2050,

greenhouse

gas

Increased



renewable

energy

renewable

electricity)

(bio-fuels, as

alternative to hydrocarbon fuels in

transport

applications;

for

renewable energy the aim will be to arrive at a 10% share in transport by 2020.

emissions through domestic and complementary

international

efforts by 25 to 40% by 2020 and by 80 to 95% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. For road transport research will aim by 2020 at a 50% CO2 reduction for new passenger cars and light-



Introduction

hydrogen

and

of fuel

cell

technology in surface transport applications

2020

economic,

safe

and

alternative

reliable

conventional

engines.

duty vehicles and 30% for new heavy-duty vehicles.



Reduction

external

and interior noise and vibration.

For road and rail transport the

present noise levels particularly

target will be a 10 dB to a

in urban environments.

20dB3reduction

compared

CONCLUSIONS: key outputs from the two projects 50 In this Thematic Analysis Fiche the main characteristics of electric and hybrid vehicles have been illustrated with the aim of giving a general overview on the available technologies. In particular traditional and pure electric vehicles have been described focusing on advantages and disadvantages. Hybrid vehicles have been described as an opportunity to merge advantages from both traditional and pure electric vehicles. Main EU policy background have been introduced and briefly described to give an overview on the actual political scenario concerning transportation. Finally, two high budget national programs selected among the projects registered on the PRESS4TRANSPORT platform have been presented and compared in order to highlight how national funding can be virtuously used to support both academic research and those small companies interested in moving their business interest forward strategic sector having an high technological content.

REFERENCES

Modern Electric, Hybrid Electric and Fuel Cells Vehicles, Fundamental, Theory and Design, Second Edition, Mehrdad Ehsani, Ymin Gao, Ali Emadi, CRC Press

European transport policy for 2010: time to decide, White Paper. COM(2001)370, Brussels.

Green Paper on "Towards a new culture for urban mobility", September 2007.

Review of the White Paper— European Transport Policy for 2010’, European Commission, 2006. The Action Plan on Urban Mobility, European Commission, September2009

“The Common Transport Policy. Sustainable mobility: perspectives for the future”, COM898716, Brussels.

FP 7 Cooperation Programme: Transport, European Commission.

Work 2011,