Extended lifetime of road Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) (2ZERO Partnership)

The grant opportunity emanates from the Horizon Europe program under the 2ZERO Partnership, specifically aimed at enhancing the lifetime of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). This initiative primarily focuses on research and innovation actions that address aging and degradation in key electric drive components, promoting user-centric designs that extend vehicle lifespan and increase residual values. The grant aligns with EU strategies for resource sovereignty and circular economy practices.

Eligible applicants include startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large companies, universities, research institutions, and public-private partnerships, all engaged in sectors relevant to battery technology and electric mobility. Collaboration with industry stakeholders is encouraged, and projects are expected to involve multidisciplinary teams from multiple EU or associated countries.

The grant is classified as a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, with financial support generally ranging from €1 million to €5 million based on similar projects in the program. There is no co-funding requirement specified, as lump sum grants typically cover total project costs. This grant operates under a single-stage application process, with submissions due by September 4, 2025.

The funded projects should target Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 6–8 by their conclusion, focusing on the development and validation of methods for assessing and predicting component lifetimes. Key outcomes include achieving a 20% increase in residual values through the implementation of sustainable design concepts that emphasize efficient resource usage, recycling, and advanced maintenance practices.

The call is inclusive of all EU member states and associated countries, supporting a wide geographic reach with no specific countries outlined in the raw data. Proposals must adhere to Open Science practices and FAIR data principles, ensuring transparency and reproducibility in research outputs.

The competitive nature of Horizon Europe grants suggests success rates likely fall within the range of 10% to 39%, although exact figures vary depending on specific areas of focus. Projects must also comply with numerous general conditions and evaluation criteria detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme.

In summary, this grant opportunity is crucial for advancing the sustainability and efficiency of battery electric vehicles, promoting innovative solutions that not only extend their operational life but also contribute significantly to the EU's climate objectives and circular economy strategies. The focus is on developing practical, scalable solutions within the electric vehicle landscape, validating concepts in representative environments, and engaging in collaborative research activities to drive technological progress in the sector.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a Horizon Europe call focused on extending the lifetime of road Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) under the 2ZERO Partnership, specifically topic HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-04. This call seeks to enhance the understanding of aging and degradation in critical electric drive components to enable user-centric designs that promote longer lifespans, higher residual values, and minimize environmental impact, aligning with European resource sovereignty.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include: a holistic understanding of the aging and degradation of critical electric drive components in light-duty BEVs (vehicle categories M1 and N1); achieving a 20% higher residual value through extended BEV lifetimes, enhancing material efficiency and productivity; developing sustainable, economy-design concepts for extended lifetimes with efficient resource use, reuse, recycling, and end-of-life strategies; and creating advanced maintenance and repair concepts to extend BEV lifecycles, reducing resource use by 20% and environmental footprint by 5%.

The scope of the call addresses the underestimation of BEV value based solely on mileage and age, emphasizing the importance of real residual value in implementing Circular Economy (CE) strategies. The focus is on electric drive components, thermal management systems, and power electronics, excluding battery cell-level degradation but including pack and module levels. Proposals should analyze the aging and degradation of critical BEV functions and subsystems, develop tools and methods to assess and predict this aging, create extended lifetime concepts, and implement a "digital product passport" for maximum traceability. Data management for operational loads and maintenance is also crucial. Validation and demonstration of concepts should be performed via a full physical demonstrator in a representative laboratory environment. Projects should adhere to Open Science practices and FAIR data principles. Projects are expected to report results to the 2ZERO Partnership to support KPI monitoring.

The call specifies several general conditions, including admissibility requirements related to proposal page limits and layout as detailed in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions include restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, also described in Annex B. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in Annex C. Evaluation and award processes, criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D, Annex F, and the Online Manual. The legal and financial setup of grants involves lump sum contributions as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, with eligible costs described in Annex G.

Specific conditions state that there are no specific conditions applicable.

Application and evaluation forms, along with the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System, including the standard application form (HE RIA, IA) and evaluation form (HE RIA, IA). Guidance is provided through the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, detailed budget table (HE LS), and guidance on lump sums. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and various guidelines and manuals.

The budget overview lists multiple topics under the call, including HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-04, which is a HORIZON-RIA with a budget of 7,000,000 EUR and aims to award one grant. The opening date for submissions is 06 May 2025, with a deadline of 04 September 2025.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants. The submission process requires selecting the appropriate type of action (HORIZON-RIA) and model grant agreement (HORIZON-AG-LS) in the Electronic Submission Service.

The portal also provides access to general FAQs, a Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and Partner Search tools.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on promoting the circular economy and extending the lifespan of electric vehicles by addressing the aging and degradation of their components. It encourages research and innovation to develop new methods for assessing vehicle health, designing for longevity, and implementing sustainable maintenance and end-of-life strategies. The call aims to increase the residual value of BEVs, reduce environmental impact, and enhance European resource sovereignty. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the application process involves a single-stage submission with a deadline in September 2025. The call is part of a broader effort to achieve zero-emission road transport and requires projects to align with Open Science and FAIR data principles.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), eligible applicants could include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The mention of the Enterprise Europe Network suggests that SMEs are particularly encouraged to apply.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a lump sum grant, as indicated by the "HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]" type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement). Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the presence of a "Partner Search" function and the typical structure of Horizon Europe projects suggest that consortia are common and potentially encouraged, although single applicants might be possible depending on the specific topic requirements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility appears to be EU member states and associated countries, as indicated by the reference to Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. The text also mentions that "a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects," suggesting some international participation is possible.

Target Sector: The program targets the climate, energy, and mobility sectors, specifically focusing on the extended lifetime of road Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and circular economy strategies. The thematic areas include electric drive components, thermal management systems, power electronics, ageing and degradation analysis, predictive maintenance, and digital product passports.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the UBA Study is referenced, which is a German environmental agency. The geographic scope is primarily the EU and associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stages vary depending on the type of action. HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions) typically target activities from research to demonstration, potentially up to TRL 6-7. HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) focus on activities from demonstration to piloting and validation, potentially up to TRL 8. HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions) focus on networking, coordination, and dissemination activities. The call aims to validate and demonstrate concepts and designs for higher residual values appropriate to the TRL level via a full physical demonstrator of all components of the electric drive-in representative laboratory environment.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary significantly depending on the specific topic, ranging from €1.6 million to €22.5 million. The indicative number of grants per topic also varies, typically between 1 and 2.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants and the competitive nature of Horizon Europe suggest that the success rates are likely to be in the 10 to 39% range or lower.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe actions often require beneficiaries to cover a portion of the total project costs, although this is not explicitly stated here.

Summary: This is a Horizon Europe Cluster 5 call focused on extending the lifetime of road Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) through research and innovation actions. The call aims to support projects that can improve the understanding of ageing and degradation of BEV components, develop tools for assessing and predicting component lifetime, and create extended lifetime concepts that enhance the residual value of BEVs. The call is structured around several topics, each with a specific budget and indicative number of grants, covering Innovation Actions (IA), Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). Eligible applicants include a range of organizations from EU member states and associated countries, with some opportunities for non-EU participation. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and applications are submitted through a single-stage open call process. The projects are expected to contribute to circular economy strategies, resource efficiency, and the overall goal of zero-emission road transport. The call also emphasizes the importance of Open Science practices and FAIR data principles. The call is part of the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Towards zero emission road transport’ (2ZERO).