#WeDrive2Zero: Interview with Ian Faye, Pillar 1 co-leader

Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I am Ian Faye working at Robert Bosch GmbH as a Director for Public Funded Projects for the operating divisions Electrified Motion and Power Solutions. Both divisions supply essential components for powertrain systems. This position is the perfect job for me to work on both funding-related high-level initiatives, and the chance to work together with internal and external European partners on a very broad portfolio of challenging pre-competitive technical topics that our company is well-known for, and ultimately contributing to the future of sustainable mobility.

Why did you apply to be a 2Zero co-leader?

I applied for the task of co-leader for 2Zero’s Pillar 1 in order to actively contribute my experience and knowledge in the area of vehicle technologies, after working at Bosch for over three decades and with EU partners starting with the Green Car Initiative nearly fifteen years ago. I enjoy working with this community and getting as many of our members and stakeholders as possible involved with the process.

Our Pillar 1 is primarily focussed on vehicle technologies, especially those involved with the powertrain and components. The novelty of the 2Zero partnership is twofold: first, to also look beyond the vehicle by itself and consider its interaction within the overall mobility system; second, to adopt a user-centric approach to make sure that our solutions always consider the user’s needs and how to maximise user acceptance. Working with the Partnership to develop the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for this ambition, along with drafting the calls for proposals, has given me the chance to develop and spread the general vision of right-sizing vehicle technologies as a means of achieving affordability and saving valuable natural resources. Right-sizing simply means getting the most out of minimal efforts and still satisfying the user’s needs and requirements. As an example, tackling solutions to reduce electro-mechanical hardware but still ensure a high level of broad user acceptance. This may be achieved with the help of intelligent systems that would help to fill any minor functional gaps that might result from the reduction of mechanical hard¬ware. Often filling these gaps may require significant effort.

Can you provide a brief overview of the project belonging to the technology area “Powertrains and components”?

I would like to mention a few 2Zero funded projects that recently started and are addressing the transition to high-voltage electric powertrains, aiming to improve the overall system efficiency, reduce charging times, and extend vehicle range — all while ensuring compatibility with existing infrastructure.
GEN1200 targets the development of SiC-based power electronics operating at 1,700V, enabling high-efficiency power conversion and supporting ultra-fast charging up to 350 kW, while maintaining backwards compatibility with 400V and 800V systems, and thus giving users more flexibility when searching for charging points. The project also investigates the higher integration of power electronics, electric machine, transmission, and ancillaries within a modular platform tailored for C-segment vehicles, with potential applicability to other segments.
HiVEP also operates above 800V, focusing on advanced system-level optimisation. In addition to using rare-earth-free electric motors and high-energy-density batteries, the project incorporates digital twins for battery management, and novel thermal management strategies to reduce charging times to under 10 minutes and extend real-world driving range, thus providing a noticeable benefit for the users.
The project Enlighten funded by 2Zero takes a complementary route by developing a 1200V dual-voltage battery architecture, employing GaN-based power electronics with ultra-fast switching capabilities. This allows for reduced conduction and switching losses, minimised cooling requirements, and more compact, cost-effective designs.
Together these projects drive forward the development of next-generation higher voltage EV powertrains, delivering key enablers for ultra-fast charging, high efficiency, and system integration — crucial steps toward improving performance, affordability, and sustainability in electric mobility across multiple vehicle classes and, most of all, perceptible improvements for users.

The projects falling in this technology area have just started, therefore, no results are available yet. As co-leader of Pillar 1 from the beginning, what do you see as our greatest achievement so far?

As I previously mentioned, 2Zero has already been quite successful in making the first important steps in the direction of adopting a system approach for both people and goods, and, most of all, in putting the user at the centre of its activities, such as targeting cost reduction or by improving vehicle performance such as efficiency and reducing the time needed for recharging the battery.
It is very nice to see just how many of our colleagues are mentioning the users in their overviews.

Is there anything mentioned in the SRIA that is not currently addressed by existing projects? Are these gaps covered by the upcoming Work Programmes?

The SRIA is an extensive document with numerous R&I priorities included. We have really achieved quite a bit, considering the broad range of topics and challenges compared with the limited budget for the partnership. From the user perspective, we still need to cover the optimisation of charging infrastructure at the system level to support using vehicles with affordable urban-sized batteries that would like to make occasional longer trips. On the other hand, we have been successful with the next step for Software Defined Vehicle with approaches that intend to build a bridge between the software world based on micro-processors and the electro-mechanical solutions that rely on micro-controllers to ensure real-time capability with the intention of further system optimisation and overall efficiency improvements. Be prepared for an exciting call in 2026!
From a more technical perspective we will inspire projects that address increased voltage levels for Heavy-Duty Vehicles and what this could mean for modular or integrated solutions. This should indeed be addressed before the end of the partnership. Our idea to rely more on real-world data to improve performance and especially the durability of fuel cell heavy duty vehicles did not find its way for this next round of 2Zero activities; luckily, thanks to our exchange of views and information with the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, some of these aspects might be tackled in that partnership.

And, among the R&I priorities in the SRIA not addressed by the upcoming activities, what do you think are the most important ones?

We still need to continue and strongly push the idea, approach and principles of right-sizing systems and solutions with a user-centric approach. This is how we can ensure that we make the best use of resources and still meeting the user’s expectations. We will need to take user’s needs and expectations into greater consideration in the future, especially the younger ones, who have new priorities and a much stronger affinity to the digital world.
We will still tackle the fundamental task of transporting a mass (people or goods) from point A to point B, but we must be open to solutions that may look a bit different in the future, especially to ensure that mobility and individual mobility follow a sustainable pathway. One example is our topic related to holistic SDV in 2026, which is just scratching the surface: a lot more will need to be done in FP10 at EU level, but also in coordination with several ongoing activities at national levels. Significant investments will still be needed to further improve components starting with advanced materials and continuing up the value chain to modules, subsystems and overall drivetrain systems. Advancements in one area will always need to be complemented by improvements in the rest of the system to fully leverage the benefits of a specific innovation.

Which main EU policies are addressed or supported by the projects of the technology area you are presenting?

This technology area is fully aligned with key EU strategies such as the Green Deal and the Automotive Action Plan. By tackling the “high voltage challenge” with the newest technologies, such as SiC and GaN, the projects aim to support the EU ambition of achieving technology leadership in the area of power electronics and high-voltage systems, which is one of the key pillars of European competitiveness. Furthermore, by advancing electric vehicle technologies, improving energy efficiency, and prioritising user-centric approaches, it supports the EU objective of reducing CO2 emissions in road transport and scaling sustainable mobility solutions in an affordable and accessible way. Given the limited availability of renewable energy during the transition phase, it is essential to use these resources as wisely as possible to sustain current affordability and efficiency while reducing future fossil fuel impacts.
Finally, and most of all, I would like to thank all the partners collaborating in both the association and funded projects. Without them none of this would be possible.