The CTC Technological Centre has developed an innovative solution to optimise the mobility and safety of connected electric vehicles (CEVs) used for freight and passenger transport. Researchers at the Cantabrian centre have designed a sensor capable of locating targets that are in constant motion and often travel through areas with poor satellite coverage, such as tunnels. This advance makes it possible to know the vehicle’s status at all times, while also providing a straightforward visualisation of its position and direction.
The development forms part of the project Solutions to the New Needs of Electric Mobility Based on Sustainability and Connectivity Criteria (SoNNMESyC). This initiative, aimed at transforming electric mobility in buses, medium-duty vehicles and motorcycles used for last-mile delivery, has been successfully completed after three and a half years of work. Its implementation represents a step forward for technological development across the entire value chain linked to electric, connected and sustainable mobility.
The consortium in which CTC participated was completed by 19 other entities across eight Spanish autonomous communities. Under the leadership of SAPA Group, a technological benchmark in heavy-vehicle mobility, the team brought together the industrial capabilities of major companies such as Mann+Hummel, GKN, SMR, Maflow, UROVESA and AUSA, along with the specialised expertise of innovative technology SMEs such as Alterity, Inertim, Multiverse, Lis Data, IADA, ARSOFT, Softeca, Little Cars, Hidragrup and Itera
The project was carried out in a particularly challenging context, marked by the effects of the war in Ukraine, tensions in international supply chains, shortages of certain components and raw materials, and a slower-than-expected development of the Spanish electric vehicle market. Despite these circumstances, the participating companies successfully achieved the planned technological and industrial objectives.
Among the main results are advances in high-precision localisation technologies developed by CTC. The researchers in the Navigation and Robotics area proposed a novel smart sensor that provides centimetre-level accuracy and increases vehicle safety. As a result, the risk of transport deviating from its route and causing an accident is significantly reduced.
Knowledge gained in the international MooringSense project, led by Cantabria’s only technological centre and focused primarily on reducing maintenance costs in floating offshore wind, was key to this approach. For CTC, the challenge lay in adapting the sensors used offshore to the speed of vehicles travelling on the road.
Throughout the process, CTC’s accumulated know-how and expertise were essential to delivering a robust and stable positioning solution for any urban environment. To this end, advanced sensor fusion techniques played a fundamental role, strengthening position estimation with complementary technologies such as inertial sensors and accelerometers. In addition, the project achieved its objectives in the intelligent use of vehicle data, advanced connectivity and new fleet management platforms, as well as in the development of key components of the powertrain, batteries, transmission systems and electric motors.
Impact on the Spanish value chain
SoNNMESyC mobilised more than EUR 65 million in investment, backed by funding of over EUR 24 million awarded under the Strategic Project for Electric and Connected Vehicle Recovery and Economic Transformation (PERTE VEC), within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The project has contributed to strengthening Spain’s industrial value chain linked to electric and connected vehicles, boosting technological capabilities in areas such as electrification, connectivity, digitalisation, advanced data management, smart mobility and services associated with the vehicle of the future.
The project has generated knowledge and industrial capabilities across the value chain, fostering collaboration among manufacturers, component suppliers, engineering companies, software developers and technology centres. It has also reinforced national technological sovereignty in strategic areas for future mobility and helped improve the international competitiveness of Spanish industry in a sector that is key to the energy transition and European reindustrialisation. The results obtained open up new opportunities for industrial exploitation and collaborative projects, helping position Spain as a relevant player within the strategic value chains associated with the transition towards decarbonised and connected mobility
