Commercial vehicle powertrain optimizationprimary
2 projects
optiTruck focused on predictive powertrain control for heavy-duty vehicles; COLHD tackled optimized biofuel drivetrains for commercial vehicles.
Organization
IAV GMBH INGENIEURGESELLSCHAFT AUTO UND VERKEHR
German automotive engineering firm specializing in commercial vehicle powertrains, e-mobility charging, and safety-critical vehicle software systems.
Engineering firmtransportDENo active H2020 projects
H2020 projects
5
As coordinator
0
Total EC funding
€2.0M
Unique partners
96
What they do
Their core work
IAV is a major German automotive engineering services company headquartered in Berlin, specializing in powertrain development, vehicle electronics, and software for the automotive and transport sectors. In H2020 projects, they contribute deep expertise in commercial vehicle powertrains — from optimizing diesel and biofuel engines to developing fast charging infrastructure for electric trucks and buses. They also bring capabilities in safety-critical embedded software architectures for rail and mixed-criticality automotive computing platforms. Their work sits at the intersection of mechanical powertrain engineering and increasingly software-defined vehicle systems.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
1 project
ASSURED addressed fast charging solutions for urban heavy-duty applications including electric buses, trucks, and vans.
Safety-critical software architecturessecondary
2 projects
SAFE4RAIL developed robust distributed application integration for rolling stock; UP2DATE worked on mixed-criticality software update technologies.
Alternative fuels for heavy-duty transportsecondary
1 project
COLHD explored biofuels, biomethane, and LNG drivetrains for commercial vehicles.
Cloud-connected vehicle intelligenceemerging
2 projects
optiTruck used cloud computing for predictive control; UP2DATE explored over-the-air software updates for high-performance vehicle platforms.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
Heavy-duty powertrain optimization
Recent focus
Electrification and vehicle software
IAV's early H2020 work (2016-2018) centered on optimizing conventional powertrains — predictive control for fuel consumption and emissions in heavy-duty diesel vehicles, plus safety architectures for rail. By 2017-2022, their focus shifted decisively toward electrification (fast charging for electric trucks and buses) and software-defined vehicles (mixed-criticality computing platforms, over-the-air updates). This mirrors the broader automotive industry transition from combustion optimization to electrification and software.
IAV is transitioning from combustion engine expertise toward electric commercial vehicles and safety-critical automotive software — positioning them as a partner for projects bridging traditional automotive engineering with electrified, software-defined transport.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: specialist_contributorReach: European15 countries collaborated
IAV participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, which is typical for large engineering services companies that contribute specialized technical work packages rather than managing entire projects. With 96 unique partners across 15 countries from just 5 projects, they operate in large consortia (averaging ~19 partners per project) and maintain a broad, non-exclusive network. This makes them an accessible partner — they are used to integrating into diverse teams and delivering defined technical contributions.
IAV has collaborated with 96 unique partners across 15 countries through 5 H2020 projects, giving them a wide European network concentrated in the automotive and transport research community. Their Berlin base connects them naturally to Germany's strong automotive R&D ecosystem.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
IAV brings a rare combination: they are a large, independent engineering firm (not tied to a single OEM) with deep expertise in both traditional powertrain hardware and modern vehicle software systems. Their transition from combustion optimization to electrification means they understand both legacy and future transport technologies — valuable for projects that need to bridge that gap. With over 8,000 employees and decades of automotive engineering experience, they offer industrial-grade engineering capacity that most academic or SME partners cannot match.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- optiTruckLargest single EU contribution (EUR 559,871) — combined cloud computing with predictive powertrain control for fuel optimization in heavy trucks, showcasing IAV's core competence.
- ASSUREDLongest-running project (2017-2022) addressing full electrification of urban heavy-duty transport including buses, trucks, and vans — marks IAV's strategic pivot to e-mobility.
- UP2DATEMost recent project (2020-2022) focused on mixed-criticality software updates for automotive platforms, signaling IAV's growing investment in software-defined vehicle capabilities.
Cross-sector capabilities
Digital — safety-critical embedded software and mixed-criticality computing platformsEnergy — electric vehicle charging infrastructure and grid integrationManufacturing — automotive production engineering and powertrain testingEnvironment — emissions reduction through alternative fuels and electrification
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