Current activities in the field of vehicle electrification offer a great potential for contributing to climate change mitigation by reducing anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Beyond the environmental strain, there is also an economic one. In 2017 the automotive sector accounted for 4% of EU’s GDP employing approximately 12 million people in the manufacturing, sales, maintenance, and transport domain.
It is therefore crucial for the European automotive industry to exploit not only the environmental benefits, but also the business opportunities which come from the transition from conventional fuel powered to electrified
vehicles. In order to capture these opportunities, electric vehicles must deliver better performance at a lower price, overcoming the constraints that are currently limiting their mass-market uptake. One major constraint is the limited driving range compared to conventional vehicles due to the limited battery capacity and high cost of the electric energy storage systems.
The QUIET project aims at developing an improved and energy efficient electric vehicle with increased driving range under real-world driving conditions. This is achieved by exploiting the synergies of a technology portfolio in the areas of user-centric design with enhanced passenger comfort and safety, lightweight materials with enhanced thermal insulation properties, and an optimised vehicle energy management.
