Ampère Chair (Renault Group) - Centrale Nantes “Performance of electric propulsion in motor vehicles”

Launched in 2016 with Renault Group, a pioneer in 100% electric vehicles in Europe, this strategic partnership has pushed the boundaries of electric mobility by improving the performance of electric vehicles while reducing their costs, making this technology more accessible without compromising on safety, reliability, and customer experience.

Centrale Nantes, with its laboratories, is a world leader in the field of sensorless control of synchronous and asynchronous machines and hybrid systems, with unique platforms in each field in an academic context. 

2016 - 2022: Improving the performance of electric vehicles

• €4.6M budget and around 30 staff

2022 - 2025: Improving and validating the performance of electric vehicles and prospects

• €1.8M budget and around 20 staff

2025 - 2029: Propulsion, energy management, and diagnostic systems for electric vehicles (EVs)

• around 20 staff

Key data

• 22 patents
• 19 publications
• 26 international conferences 
• 4 test benches 

2025–2029: A third phase focusing on electric vehicle propulsion, energy management, and diagnostic systems

On 13 November 2025, Ampere, a Renault Group company specializing in smart electric vehicles, and Centrale Nantes announced the launch of the third phase of their joint research chair, focusing on propulsion systems, energy management, and diagnostics for electric vehicles (EVs):
 

• Improving the range, efficiency, and driving comfort of electric vehicles through control and observation functions integrated from the design stage.
• Making the vehicle a key player in the electrical grid (Vehicle-to-Grid, Vehicle-to-Home, etc.) through AI-based optimization and control algorithms
• Extending the service life of critical vehicle components through diagnostics, prognostics, and predictive optimization.

With phase three of our joint research chair with Ampère, we are entering an even more integrated approach, where control, energy management, and diagnostics are considered as a whole. 

- Malek Ghanes, Professor at Centrale Nantes, and the chairholder.

The chair draws on an international educational ecosystem through the Erasmus Mundus E-PiCo+ Master's programme (2025–2030), accredited by the European Union. Each year, this programme trains international master's students to become experts in electromobility, in partnership with:
 

• Centrale Nantes (France)
• Kiel University (Germany)
• UNSTPB (Romania)
• University of L'Aquila (Italy)
• CINVESTAV (Mexico)

And 18 industrial partners (Renault Group, Airbus, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, BT, Hella, Omega Trust, NxP, Infopro Digital Automotive, P2C, Tekne, Bluhub, Hipert, Jungheinrich Nüwiel, Semikron-Danfoss, TK marine systems, Modutram) and 7 associated academic partners (McMaster University, ETS Montreal, Wuhan University, University of Lagos-Unilag, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey).

Unique technology platforms

The research is supported by several test benches and state-of-the-art infrastructure, including:

• A 160 kW motor test bench—the only one of its kind in France in the academic world, enabling the validation of controls and observers in real conditions
• A multi-energy hydrogen platform, developed as part of the regional CPER program, to develop hydrogen-based energy management architecture.
• A 3 kW test bench for simulating a series hybrid architecture in which the electric motor alone provides traction for the vehicle, while the combustion engine recharges the battery via a generator.
• Bidirectional charging benches for testing Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) strategies in semi-real environments

The first two phases of the chair led to major scientific advances (2016-2024)

The work carried out led to the development and validation of numerous control and optimization algorithms, several of which are already integrated into Renault vehicles currently in production. These concrete results illustrate the ability of academic research to have a direct impact on industrial competitiveness.

This partnership with Ampère perfectly illustrates our commitment to leveraging research to boost industrial competitiveness and energy transition.

- Jean-Baptiste Avrillier, Director of Centrale Nantes

This collaboration with Centrale Nantes through a prestigious chair allows us to explore cutting-edge technological solutions while accelerating their transfer to our products.

- Nicolas Racquet, Director of Vehicle and Powertrain Engineering at Ampère


 

This Chair is led by Professor Malek Ghanes (malek.ghanesa8eb4174-d000-48cd-8342-6d58d7631ade@ec-nantes.fr) at Centrale Nantes. In 2015 Malek Ghanes received the prize for applied research from the Federation of Electrical, Electronics and Communications Industries (FIECC) for his pioneering work on the development of robust and inexpensive automation. The previous year he was awarded the prize for best article in Control Engineering Practice, a journal of IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) for his work on the management of fuel cell energy for electric vehicle applications.