EVERLASTING · Project

Smarter Battery Management That Makes Electric Vehicles Last Longer and Cost Less

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Imagine your phone battery — now multiply the headaches by a thousand, and that's what electric vehicle makers deal with. EVERLASTING built a smarter "brain" for EV batteries that watches over them with extra sensors, predicts how they'll age, and manages heat and charging to squeeze out more range and years of life. They even built a full-size 40kWh battery pack and tested it in an actual electric delivery van. The goal is to make batteries cheaper, safer, and less of a guessing game for everyone from car makers to fleet operators.

By the numbers

40kWh

Full-size battery pack demonstrated in electric van

Partners in consortium

Countries represented

Industry partners in consortium

Total project deliverables

SMEs in consortium

58%

Industry partner ratio

The business problem

What needed solving

Electric vehicle batteries are expensive, degrade unpredictably, and create range anxiety that slows EV adoption. Fleet operators and vehicle manufacturers cannot accurately predict how long their batteries will last or when they'll need replacement, leading to over-engineered (costly) battery packs or unexpected failures. Current battery management systems only track basic parameters and react to problems instead of preventing them.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered a full-size 40kWh battery pack with NMC cells demonstrated in a VOLTIA electric utility van with battery swapping capability. They also developed predictive lifetime models, multi-sensor monitoring beyond standard voltage/current/temperature, proactive thermal and load management algorithms, and a standardized BMS architecture with defined interfaces — totaling 34 deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Electric delivery and logistics fleet operators switching from diesel to EVBattery pack integrators and assemblers for automotive or stationary storageAutomotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers developing EV platformsEV charging infrastructure companies needing battery health dataSecond-life battery companies assessing remaining battery value

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Electric vehicle fleet management

mid-size

Target: Commercial fleet operators running electric delivery vans and trucks

If you are a fleet operator dealing with unpredictable battery degradation and range anxiety across your electric vehicles — this project developed a multi-sensor battery monitoring system and predictive lifetime models that tell you exactly how each battery is aging. They demonstrated this in a full-size 40kWh battery pack built for an electric utility van, meaning you could plan maintenance and replacements based on real data instead of guesswork.

Battery pack manufacturing

SME

Target: Companies assembling battery packs for EVs or energy storage

If you are a battery pack manufacturer struggling with expensive over-dimensioning because you can't accurately predict how batteries will perform over their lifetime — this project created predictive behavior models and a standardized BMS architecture with defined interfaces. With 12 partners across 6 countries validating this approach, the standard BMS components could lower your design and production costs significantly.

Automotive OEM and Tier-1 suppliers

enterprise

Target: Vehicle manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers integrating battery systems

If you are an automotive supplier dealing with thermal management challenges and safety certification headaches for battery systems — this project developed proactive thermal and load management algorithms backed by rich multi-sensor data beyond just voltage, current, and temperature. Their consortium included 7 industry partners who validated these approaches, and the standardized BMS interfaces could simplify your integration work.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much could this reduce our battery-related costs?

The project focused on accurate battery dimensioning and lifetime prediction, which prevents costly over-engineering of battery packs. By extending battery lifetime through proactive thermal and load management, the total cost of ownership drops — though specific cost reduction percentages are not provided in the available data.

Has this been tested at industrial scale?

Yes. The project built a full-size 40kWh battery pack from NMC cells and demonstrated it in an electric utility van by VOLTIA with battery swapping capability. This is a real-world vehicle demonstration, not just a lab test. The consortium delivered 34 deliverables over the project lifetime.

What is the IP situation and can we license this technology?

The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with 12 partners across 6 countries. IP ownership typically stays with the consortium partners who created it. You would need to contact the coordinator (VITO, Belgium) or specific industrial partners to discuss licensing of the BMS architecture, sensor integration, or predictive models.

Does this work with our existing battery systems or only new designs?

A key goal of EVERLASTING was defining a standard BMS architecture and interfaces. This standardization approach is specifically designed to work across different battery types and vehicle platforms, making retrofit or integration with existing systems more feasible than proprietary solutions.

What makes this different from the BMS we already use?

Most current BMS systems only monitor voltage, current, and temperature. EVERLASTING added multi-sensing capabilities that provide deeper insight into battery health, combined with road, vehicle, and driver data. This allows proactive management — preventing problems rather than reacting to them.

How long until we could deploy this in our vehicles?

The project ran from 2016 to 2021 and reached full-size vehicle demonstration stage with the 40kWh electric van pack. Based on available project data, the core technology components are validated but would need engineering integration work for specific vehicle platforms. The standardized BMS architecture was designed to accelerate this process.

Consortium

Who built it

The EVERLASTING consortium is strongly industry-oriented: 7 out of 12 partners come from industry (58%), with 3 SMEs adding agility to the mix. The 6-country spread across Belgium, Germany, France, Israel, Netherlands, and Slovakia covers major European automotive markets plus Israel's strong EV tech sector. VITO, the Belgian technology research organization coordinating the project, is well-known for bridging research and industry. The presence of VOLTIA (a Slovak electric van maker) as a partner who provided the demonstration vehicle adds real commercial credibility — this wasn't just a paper exercise but involved a company that actually builds and sells electric utility vans.

VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V.Coordinator · BE
ALGOLION LTDparticipant · IL
RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHENparticipant · DE
LION SMART GMBHparticipant · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHENparticipant · DE
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESparticipant · FR
SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE SASparticipant · FR
VDL BUS & COACH BVparticipant · NL
TUV SUD BATTERY TESTING GMBHparticipant · DE
VDL ENABLING TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS BVparticipant · NL
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVENparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

The coordinator is VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek), a major Belgian research and technology organization. Contact their battery technology or business development department.

Order a report on this consortium See VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V. profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the EVERLASTING team to discuss licensing their BMS technology or predictive battery models? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the right people.

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