Launched in 2021 for a 48-month duration, the HIGHTVOLT2 project builds on the momentum of the original HIGHVOLT initiative. With the goal of supporting industry players in the transition to higher voltage levels in embedded systems, the project brings together more than fifteen major stakeholders in the energy transition, spanning the aerospace, rail, automotive, and industrial sectors.
Backed by a €9 million budget, HIGHTVOLT2 aims to deepen the understanding of physical phenomena linked to high-voltage environments—in particular, partial discharges, surface effects, space charges, and electrical arcing. The project also focuses on assessing and managing their impact on system reliability, while identifying and developing innovative solutions capable of pushing performance beyond the current state of the art.
More than 30 team members from IRT Saint Exupéry are actively involved in the project. HIGHTVOLT2 has taken a significant step forward with the acquisition of advanced experimental equipment, including a 150°C PEA test bench, a short-circuit monitoring cabinet (sinusoidal), and a Princeton Instruments 750-HRS imaging spectrometer (provided for use).
AIRLIFT, a software tool developed during previous projects, has been further optimized to simplify its usability and integrate an open-source electrostatic solver. A new version has since been delivered to project partners.
Successful Testing Campaigns
In 2024, several successful test campaigns were conducted, following on from initial efforts in 2023. These focused on partial discharges, surface effects, and electrical arcing (including the analysis of PWM waveforms). Additional campaigns are ongoing or recently launched, including tests on aging under space charge, isothermal harness aging, long-term isothermal aging (over one year), and partial discharge aging on “gazelle horns” (flat wires).
IRT Saint Exupéry’s twin-screw extruder was used to manufacture PPS pellets, which were then transferred to one of the project’s industrial partners to evaluate the industrial-scale processing impact on the developed materials.
As the project nears its end, preparations for HIGHTVOLT3 are already underway. This next phase will continue the work initiated by the previous projects, with the goal of further supporting industry in the electrification of embedded systems, hybridization, and electric propulsion.