Advanced modelling tools and testing procedures going from one-dimension to three dimensional approaches have a fundamental role to play in optimising the project. This is so during the earliest project phases for the energy dimensioning of FEV HEV as well as their energy management strategies, while reducing project development lead-time as well as build-up requirements for subsystems and their related control units. The research in this project will focus on the development and validation of numerical simulation tools, virtual prototyping and advanced physical testing procedures and on the standardization of such tools in order to:

• Investigate solutions for improving the efficiency and performance of future generation EV and their constituent components and sub-systems that may be critical from the energy efficiency point of view. The development of these sub-systems is however excluded.
• Assess the effect of different sub-systems solutions in terms of energy efficiency and related increase of autonomy on different specific real life driving cycles that will take into account traffic constraints, road slope evolution, etc.
• Verify technological feasibility and economic viability of the advanced solutions proposed.