Advanced Thermal Comfort and Energy Management for Personalized, Efficient and Weather-Aware Electric Vehicle Operation

The AETHER Consortium brings together 12 participants from industrial and research backgrounds to de-liver innovative energy management solutions for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), with a focus on light duty vehicles (LDVs) and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) operating in extreme weather conditions. The project activities will include: i) identification of user requirements for BEV thermal comfort through controlled sim-ulator experiments, participatory driving sessions, and large-scale surveys, and their integration into the thermal management design to enable personalized, AI-driven climate control; ii) development of AI-supported smart BEV energy management strategies, leveraging Smart City services and Software-Defined Vehicle functionalities to ensure robust operation across diverse weather conditions, optimize cabin and battery energy use, and adapt to individual comfort preferences; iii) design and deployment of sustainable and affordable systems and components relevant to BEV thermal management and comfort, including PCM/PTC-based interior materials, oil-free centrifugal e-compressors, wide-bandgap converters, additive-manufactured heat exchangers, and NVH-optimized acoustic solutions; and iv) virtual, hybrid, and full-scale demonstration of the AETHER technologies on representative LDV and LCV platforms, complemented by scalability and replication studies, validating energy savings, enhanced comfort, reduced range loss in extreme conditions, and readiness for market adoption. Through this integrated approach, AETHER will deliver robust, energy-efficient, and user-centric BEV thermal management solutions, combining advanced system architectures, AI-driven control, and sustainable components to enhance performance, comfort, and sustainability in next-generation electric mobility.