In-wheel motors (IWMs) have become a mature technology that is well-suited for new user-centric electric vehicles (EVs). IWMs can be integrated in multi-functional and controllable modules consisting of the electric powertrain, friction brake and suspension/steering actuation. By combining several vehicle functionalities in a compact solution, the modules offer substantial opportunities to enhance the design and the operation of EVs. This is the starting point of the SmartCorners project. Using machine learning and AI, an adaptive multilayer control strategy will be implemented with historical and current data from the vehicle, its environment, and users, including relevant EV fleets. This approach will pave the way toward software-defined vehicles, ena-bling rightsizing, holistic optimisation, innovative fault mitigation and actuator allocation strategies as well as more efficient, adaptive, predictive, and personalised system operation. SmartCorners will bring a so far un-explored authority level over: i) vehicle design, through skateboard-like chassis configurations; ii) energy management aspects, covering pre-conditioning and predictive thermal management during EV operation; iii) comfort and functional aspects, in terms of user-centric cabin thermal management, and pre-emptive vehicle body control; and iv) dismantling process and recycling of the vehicle. The development and industrialization of the project outcomes will be accelerated by comprehensive and integrated simulation, design and validation methodologies to decrease development time and cost, and support the uptake of AI-based solutions. In con-clusion, SmartCorners will provide a significant competitive advantage of the European industry and contrib-ute to achieve key strategic orientations C and A of the EU Strategic Plan.

The project SOLUTIONSplus aims to set up a global platform for shared, public and commercial e-mobility solutions, and to kick start the transition towards low-carbon urban mobility. The project work-plan encompasses city level demonstrations to test different types of innovative and integrated e-mobility solutions, vehicle and user-level demonstrations complemented by scaling up and replication activities. To appropriately address the call topic LC-GV-05-2019 and maximise its impact, SOLUTIONSplus brings together highly committed cities, industry, research, implementing organisations and finance partners. Through numerous synergistic projects, networks and a strong technical experience, the SOLUTIONSplus consortium will be able to deliver a highly ambitious project. Direct co-funding contributions will be provided by partner cities and SOLUTIONSplus works closely with UN Environment and the International Energy Agency (IEA) on a joint global urban e-mobility programme that will significantly boost replication and impact of this Innovation Action. Through the regional platforms, a global programme and local teams, the project aims to develop highly effective and innovative approaches to urban e-mobility ensuring that mobility systems and interventions from this project deliver on the Paris Agreement, meet the Sustainable Development Goals and address the New Urban Agenda. The Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI, launched by UN-Habitat) is the project coordinator, collaborating closely with the MobiliseYourCity and Decarbonising Transport partnerships. The consortium has developed a collaboration with a partner programme led by the IEA and UNEP funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which will turn the overall partnership into the leading global platform on urban electric mobility.

SESA will facilitate a structured co-development process, which starts with the co-development of energy access innovations that have a high potential for take-up and are tested, validated and later replicated. Each technology will be demonstrated in the living lab, and a corresponding information and training package is created. Each of the living lab team will consist of technology experts, local implementation partners (members of the consortium) along with local authorities (associated partners) and innovators (recruited through the seed-funding call), guided by business development, finance and policy experts. Demonstration actions will aim to test innovative technologies and services in different contexts that have a high level of replicability and a high potential for long-term sustainability. The project aims to achieve a high level of replicability of actions. As part of an effort to go beyond the state of the art and maximise the project?s impact, the project will co-develop innovations with local partners and cooperate closely with sister projects to exploit synergies. Solutions that will be tested in this project have been selected on their basis of their replication potential. Demonstration concepts aim to integrate several solutions to provide essential energy services to rural and urban communities and create easily replicable business opportunities for local entrepreneurs. The co-developed demonstration actions will be initially tested in the Kenya living lab and based on the initial learnings, various aspects of the tested innovations will be validated in living labs in different socio-economic operating environments (Ghana, South Africa, Malawi and Morocco). The learning from the validation living labs will strengthen the applicability and replicability of the technologies as well as the basic business concepts, which will be shared in the SESA toolbox and incubator programme.

The STREnGth_M consortium will contribute significantly to the planning of research and innovation in Europe by identifying future research needs in the field of road transport, by updating and supporting the coordination of strategic research agendas and roadmaps in the field and by facilitating continuous exchange between road transport research related Horizon Europe partnerships and platforms. It will further analyse research, innovation and cooperation capacities in Member States, explore funding instruments on national and regional level and assess potentials of national and regional roadmaps. Within STREnGth_M the global progress of electric mobility will be tracked while measuring the feasibility of innovative solutions for prospective and emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This will contribute to strengthen exisiting and even forge new links between European, national and regional programmes and support structures for international cooperation task forces. The partners will also identify barriers that may exist for the deployment of research results on European and on international level and they will identify education and training actions to contribute to capacity building. In order to inform and engage the vast stakeholder community, policy makers, the civil society and more, the consortium will develop elaborate dissemination strategies, support the dissemination and organisation of European and international road transport research related events. This way the dissemination of the contribution from road transport to the realization of the European Green Deal targets and the Paris Agreement can be ensured. Via the establishment of the so called Multiplier Group the engagement of the various stakeholders will be facilitated throughout the project.

The 2ZERO Partnership KPIs are multiple and various, relating to the three-layer approach for the Objectives of 2ZERO, as expressed in its SRIA. This proposed CSA will determine a common framework for monitoring these multiple and various KPIs (including their sources, methods and reporting formats). It will generate values for the KPIs and their expected variation for the coming decade, based upon the results of the projects being conducted within the partnership and the assessment of the impact of these projects' results. The proposed CSA will support the identification and quantification of all interactions, impacts and effectiveness of the partnership within the road transport challenge. Furthermore, the proposed CSA will provide recommendations for development and analysis of the means of measurement and evaluation of the partnership within the road transport challenge. Finally, the CSA will disseminate and communicate its results to a wide range of stakeholders, throughout the road transport sector, but also across Member States and to the public in general, via a range of media and events. The consortium undertaking the proposed CSA represents many sectors of the road transport community from multiple European countries: it will be guided by a strong Advisory Board representing a broad range of vehicle manufactures, suppliers, RTOs, operators and infrastructure providers, as well as technology partnerships, joint undertakings and other representative organisations within Europe.