Proposed actions are expected to address all of the following aspects, where possible building upon available open-source building blocks:

• Investigate the potential of novel propulsion and chassis system/sub-systems packaging and performance from a holistic EV architecture perspective and for fast charging, significantly improving the current State-of-Art performance via digital solutions and leveraging AI when beneficial.
• Include chassis and traction hardware solutions as well as standardised control and physical interfaces to improve innovation speed and software solutions, also leveraging the potential of open source.
• Develop a system architecture to ensure optimal compatibility with the high-level SW and the physical powertrain and Electrical/Electronic (E/E) systems (e.g. mechanical, electro-mechanical, etc.) with appropriate SW tooling for efficient SDV development, integration and validation, e.g. operational functionality, also including driving range improvement according to user expectations. Target applications are expected to be fit for mass-market M1 C-segment vehicle or below.
• Identify required software interfaces (Application Programming Interface and/or software services), i.e. especially which kind of information/data are required for an energy-efficient in the context of powertrain, chassis, automated driving and vehicle SW/interfaces needed for vehicle-to-grid functionalities, considering the vehicle and environment.
• Develop solutions that minimize energy use while meeting users’ expectations, such as battery management, predictive maintenance, or eco-efficient routing and driving systems, leveraging AI-driven workflows when beneficial. When using AI-based approaches, projects are expected to ensure that the use AI in electric vehicles does not increase the overall energy need.
• Ensure the consistency of data and information from different sources and different market players to ensure the scaling potential of solutions (i.e. in-vehicle interfaces as part of the Vehicle Signal Specification, e.g. COVESA, Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle).[2]
• Propose recommendations on possible test protocols for future implementation and safety ratings.
• Collaborate with the Software-defined Vehicle (SDV) initiative under the Chips JU[3] by adopting relevant existing interfaces and building blocks, and proposing new ones developed within the project for potential inclusion in the SDV framework. Ensure close coordination with the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA) announced in the European Automotive Action Plan.

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.