Catching up with HiEFFICIENT: powering tomorrow’s electric vehicles for greener European transport
From 2021 to 2024, the EU-funded HiEFFICIENT(opens in new window) project worked to advance one of the EU’s key goals: making transport sustainable for all Europeans. Its focus was electromobility, and, more specifically, creating more powerful and reliable power electronic solutions for electric vehicles based on wide-bandgap semiconductors. Now, HiEFFICIENT has transitioned from research to tangible industrial deployment, its innovative technologies paving the way for cost-effective, eco-friendly next-generation vehicles.
From the lab to the road
Since 2024, HiEFFICIENT partners have built on the collaboration fostered during the project, devoting themselves to generating market-ready technologies, follow-up projects and commercialisation activities across Europe. Advancements in semiconductor embedding in printed circuit boards for automotive converters have attracted strong interest from European and Asian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers. The development of a highly compact, bidirectional 22 kW on-board charger achieving over 97 % efficiency has strengthened industrial relevance, leading to follow-up projects, collaborations with OEMs and suppliers, and the new EU-funded project HiPower 5.0(opens in new window). Launched in 2025, HiPower 5.0 is expected to lead to even more efficient, compact and reliable solutions. Further advances include enhanced motor control algorithms – with improvements in efficiency, noise, vibration and harshness – and simulation/thermal models. These are already being used in demonstrator vehicles and delivered to customers as product-level solutions. A new dual-inverter family and an updated demonstrator have also been developed for emerging applications such as electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, opening new business opportunities. Belgium-based EMAXSIS, an advanced tech spin-off taking advantage of HiEFFICIENT results, specialises in edge-monitoring technologies and Internet of things software solutions that make the power electronics in electric vehicles and charging networks safer, more reliable and longer lasting. Also built on project results is a next-generation electric vehicle fast-charging power module that is being industrialised, targeting over 98 % efficiency, full bidirectionality and high-volume production. Last but not least, the next generation of the 100 V gallium nitride half-bridge solution developed during HiEFFICIENT has now been completed and is currently being tested by key customers before entering the market.
The power of EU support
“EU funding was pivotal to HiEFFICIENT’s success, acting as the primary enabler for both technical innovation and cross-sector collaboration,” comments Christoph Abart, Senior Program Manager at AVL List GmbH, a leading mobility technology company that coordinated HiEFFICIENT. It brought together a strong European consortium along the entire value chain, from the semiconductor industry up to leading European OEMs, and helped de-risk breakthrough R&D by supporting difficult-to-finance early-stage development. EU support through the HiEFFICIENT (Highly EFFICIENT and reliable electric drivetrains based on modular, intelligent and highly integrated wide bandgap power electronics modules) project also accelerated technology maturation and validation across all partners. Most importantly, it has helped further Europe’s climate and energy goals by enabling the development of more energy-efficient (> 98 %) and longer-lifetime (+ 20 %) power electronic solutions. The ‘Life After’ feature shines a light on finished EU-funded projects and what they have achieved since the end of EU funding. If you are interested in having your project featured as a ‘Life After’ project, please send us an email to editorial@cordis.europa.eu and tell us why!
