HiPower5.0
HiPower 5.0 project aims to develop highly integrated and energy-efficient power electronics components for sustainable mobility applications in the automotive and maritime sectors.
“Making transport sustainable for all” is a key topic in “The European Green Deal,” aiming for a climate-neutral Europe by 2050[1]. The Green Deal seeks to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy, recently highlighted in “The future of European competitiveness” report[2]. The “European Chips Act”[3] supports this transition by enhancing Europe’s competitiveness and resilience in semiconductor technologies, crucial for the green transformation. The Chips Act emphasizes that success depends on turning research insights into innovative, sustainable products and services at an industrial scale. HiPower 5.0 addresses these goals by developing new power electronics solutions to meet Green Deal targets and foster a resilient, leading-edge European value chain for future mobility solutions.
HiPower 5.0 aims to develop highly integrated eDrive components for automotive and maritime sectors using advanced wide bandgap semiconductors and power electronics technologies. This includes new high-performance GaN wafer materials, 850 V monolithically integrated bidirectional GaN switches with 99 % efficiency, and 1200 V GaN switches for 800 V battery electric vehicles. The design focuses on resource efficiency and reliability to minimize CO2 footprint and extend power electronics component lifetime
- Firstly, multi-physics simulation with its ability to model the complex interactions between electrical, thermal, electro-magnetic, and mechanical phenomena will be used. By simulating these interactions, the system design can be optimized while performances can be predicted under various operating conditions, reducing the need for prototyping, and cutting both time and costs of development.
- Secondly, new ageing models and prognostics concepts will be developed to finally enable an according evaluation of the set targets of single applications. Supported by innovations in power electronics control and cooling the lifetime and reliability will be further enhanced.
HiPower 5.0 consortium is composed along the whole value chain, from the GaN wafer and chip development to automotive and maritime Tier1/OEMs. Leading European universities and research organizations are involved, ensuring significant economic scientific impact. 45 partners from 11 European countries are collaborating in this three-year project, which has a total budget of €58 million and will start on 1st of July 2025.
Figure 2: Project consortium – 45 partners from 11 countries
The consortium is well-equipped to achieve challenging goals, generating significant environmental, societal and technological impact:
- Environmental Impact: Advances in efficiency, resource reduction, and sustainability from HiPower 5.0 will positively impact the environment.
- Automotive Industry Benefits: HiPower 5.0’s eDrive components will enhance performance, efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness, helping the industry meet the demand for sustainable mobility and comply with strict environmental regulations.
- Maritime Industry Benefits: HiPower 5.0’s power conversion systems will reduce emissions, fuel consumption, noise, and maintenance costs, enhancing environmental footprint, operational efficiency, and competitiveness.
- Semiconductor Industry Benefits: HiPower 5.0 will boost market opportunities, technological leadership, and innovation, strengthening the European value chain and fostering academia-industry collaboration.
- Research Community Benefits: HiPower 5.0 will generate new knowledge, methods, tools, and data, advancing the state of the art and facilitating the dissemination and exploitation of research results.
- Societal Benefits: HiPower 5.0 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel dependence, and health risks in the transport sector, while boosting economic growth, job creation, and social inclusion.
For more information, please contact:
Project Coordinator: Dr. Christoph Abart | AVL List GmbH | christoph.abart@avl.com
Copyright images: Designed by Freepik
[1] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/delivering-european-green-deal_en
[2] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/strengthening-european-competitiveness/eu-competitiveness-looking-ahead_en
[3] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-chips-act_en