Future Mobility Solutions: Pioneering Thermal Management for Enhanced Vehicle Efficiency (FUTURE-MOVE)

Research Project, 2025 – 2026

The FUTURE-MOVE project addresses one of the most critical yet underdeveloped challenges in sustainable transport: thermal management. While today’s electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles struggle with overheating, weight penalties from oversized cooling systems, and slow charging rates, the aerospace industry has already developed highly optimized thermal solutions driven by extreme constraints in mass and reliability.

FUTURE-MOVE brings these aerospace-grade diagnostics and experimental methods into the context of ground transport — targeting EV battery modules and high-power electronics in heavy-duty vehicles. By applying advanced tools such as flow visualization, infrared thermography, and data-driven thermal modeling, the project aims to unlock higher power density, improved system reliability, and shorter charging times.

The project is a collaboration between Chalmers’ Departments of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences and Electric Power Engineering, with planned benchmarking at Purdue University. Supported by Volvo AB, the project will create an adaptable diagnostic toolbox and demonstrate its impact on real-world transport systems.

FUTURE-MOVE contributes directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by enabling smarter energy use, reducing component degradation, and accelerating the shift toward reliable, zero-emission mobility.