Beyonder to take lead in HEROES, a Horizon 2020 project

Kick-off meeting for the HEROES project

Electric cars are increasingly popular and are expected to be an important part of Europe´s low-carbon transport system. However, inadequate infrastructure for fast and widespread charging is a challenge that must be solved before the EU can fully invest in electric cars. 

Beyonder are proud to announce that we will lead a consortium consisting of ten European partners with the aim of developingan energy storage system for fast charging of electric vehicles. 

Horizon 2020 is EU´s instrument for implementing initiatives aimed at driving economic growth and create jobs, securing Europe's global competitiveness. By coupling research and innovation, Horizon 2020 is helping to achieve this with emphasis on science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges.

Hybrid EneRgy stOragE Stations (HEROES)

HEROES is a new project funded under Horizon 2020. The objective of HEROES is fast and efficient charging of electric cars. HEROES will develop and prove a hybrid high-power / high-energy stationary storage system for fast charging of Electric Vehicles (EV) to be used in medium-size charging stations connected to the low voltage grids, without the need to invest in improving the grid power. 

Beyonder will develop a state-of-the-art Li-ion capacitor (LiC) for the hybrid system, with an optimised balance between power and energy for fast charging of electric cars (energy density of 40 Wh / kg and power density of 5 kW / kg). The LiC will be combined with Li-ion batteries (LiBs) to store large amounts of energy that will act as a reserve when the charging needs exceed the LiC capacity. Both storage technologies will be suitable for both high power and high energy applications. The combination of LiC capacitor and LiB batteries will provide higher efficiency and better system performance, and will also provide extendedbattery life, more energy from battery cells, easier and reduced administration and total system costs.

HEROES will be a key enabler for the widespread need for fast charging of electrical vehicles, cost effective and without the need for a major investments. Given the huge increase in electrical vehicles, the potential impact of this project is massive. The project will take advantage of storage technologies suitable for both high power and high energy applications in a way that couldn´t have been achieved if the technologies were used separately, says Dr. Turi Kvame Lorentzen, project coordinator from Beyonder.   

A €4 million project

The consortium covers the full value chain of energy storage from technology providers to system integrators and end-users, placing the consortium in an excellent position to develop scientific and technological breakthroughs in the field, as well as seeing market opportunities that arise from novel users. The HEROES project will have a strong impact on
Europe´s energy storage sector, employment, and global industrial competitiveness. 

Participants in the HEROES consortium are the Institute for Energy Technology, Siemens AG, ElringKlinger, Lithium Balance, Bestoraged, ENSO, Sustainable Innovations, European Association for Storage of Energy, and Aalborg University. 

More than €4 million in funding has been granted to HEROES under the programme Horizon 2020. Beyonder will receive 837 500 Euro.