Gerd Bramerdorfer’s (Institute of Electrical Drives and Power Electronics at the JKU) ERC project will focus on advancements in electrical machines and drives.

Modern electric drives are expected to deliver high energy efficiency under a wide range of operating conditions (speed, torque). In principle, however, it is not currently feasible, resulting in compromises. The "Charmaeleon" project - named after the animal - explores fundamentally new machine concepts that could change the drive's properties depending on the operating conditions. If successfully implemented, the energy savings could be very significant, especially considering that around 50% of the electrical energy required by the EU is needed to operate electrical machines.

The grants, worth approximately € 1.5 million, are awarded to base-knowledge research projects for five-years. In total, only 408 European researchers in Europe have received this type of grant.