What MOBI does

MOBI (Electromobility Research Centre) is an academic research center within the Electrical Engineering and Energy Technology Department (ETEC) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium, founded in 2012 with roots tracing back over forty years of EV research. The center operates five specialized research groups covering Electric & Autonomous Vehicles (E&AV), the Battery Innovation Centre (BIC), EPOWERS (power electronics, powertrains, smart charging), EVERGi (sustainable multi-energy systems and energy transition), and MERLIN (lighting and visible light communication). Its technical backbone consists of multiple dedicated labs - a battery testing facility with 300 test channels, 12 climate chambers, and a 45m2 dry room for solid-state battery prototyping; the Power Electronics Innovation Lab (PEIL); the Powertrain Innovation Lab (PIL) with vehicle dyno and in-wheel motor testing; the Smart Charging Lab (SCL) for G2V/V2G validation; and the Power Electronics Reliability Lab (PERL). MOBI does not sell commercial products but operates a multi-channel model funded primarily by EU research grants (Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe), national agencies (VLAIO, Innoviris, Flux50, BELSPO), and contract research with automotive OEMs, battery manufacturers (Continental, Clarios/JCI, IKERLAN), and energy companies (Siemens Industry Software). It is a designated MOBI Core Lab within Flanders Make, holds the secretariat of IEC TC69 and Cenelec TC69X standardization committees for EV charging, and distributes its output through academic publications (250+ from EPOWERS alone), conference presence, EU project websites, and a Living Lab demonstration platform at Green Energy Park Zellik.

Name

MOBI

Legal name

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

Website

https://mobi.research.vub.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

MOBI is the Electromobility Research Centre at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, conducting multidisciplinary research across electric vehicles, batteries, power electronics, smart charging, and sustainable energy systems for automotive OEMs, battery makers, energy companies, and EU consortium partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electromobility Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

akta.pro primary industry

DER Dispatch, Aggregation & Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Integration (EUADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

EV Charging & Fleet VPP Aggregation (Managed Charging, V2G, Depot/Highway) (EUAFAHAC), Residential DER Aggregation & VPPs (Solar+Storage, Smart Home, Community) (EUAFAHAA)

Keywords

• Electromobility research
• Battery innovation systems
• Power electronics testing
• Smart charging infrastructure
• Energy transition research

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussel

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. EU Research Funding: Primary revenue from Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, and other European Commission research grants supporting collaborative R&D projects in electromobility, battery technology, and sustainable energy.
2. National Research Grants: Funding from Belgian national agencies including VLAIO, Innoviris, and Flux50 for regional innovation projects.
3. Industry Research Collaborations: Contracted research and testing services for automotive OEMs, battery manufacturers, and energy companies requiring specialized R&D capabilities.
4. Academic Publications & Knowledge Transfer: Revenue generation through scientific publications, conference presentations, and technology transfer to industry partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MOBI is an academic electromobility research center operating within Vrije Universiteit Brussel, conducting multidisciplinary R&D across five domains: electric and autonomous vehicles, battery innovation, power electronics and powertrains, energy transition multi-energy systems, and innovative lighting solutions. The center provides research services, collaborative R&D, infrastructure access (battery, power electronics, powertrain, smart charging, and reliability labs), and expert tools to industry partners, automotive OEMs, battery manufacturers, and energy companies through EU-funded projects and contracted research.

Product overview

MOBI (Electromobility Research Centre) is Europe's leading electromobility research hub at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, conducting multidisciplinary research across five key domains: Electric & Autonomous Vehicles, Battery Innovation Centre (BIC), EPOWERS (power electronics and energy solutions), EVERGi (energy transition), and MERLIN (lighting solutions). MOBI is not a commercial product company but an academic research institution offering expert tools, testing infrastructure, and R&D services to industry partners. Its portfolio includes specialized labs for battery testing, power electronics, powertrain testing, smart charging, and reliability testing, serving the automotive, energy, and transport sectors through collaborative research projects and industry partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MOBI Electromobility Research Centre Multidisciplinary research hub providing collaborative R&D, testing services, and expert tools to academic and industry partners across electromobility, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, battery technology, and sustainable energy systems.
• Battery Innovation Centre (BIC) Belgium's main expertise center for R&D of energy storage systems for traction and stationary applications, covering next-generation battery technologies (solid-state, Li-S), battery prototyping, characterization, aging studies, and second-life research for automotive OEMs and battery manufacturers.
• EPOWERS Research Group Research group specializing in power electronics converters, vehicle powertrains, electric machines, smart charging systems (V2X), and digital twin reliability solutions for electric vehicles, operating over 20 dedicated and modularized test rigs.
• EVERGi Research Group Research group developing holistic models for sustainable multi-energy systems and tools for energy transition, smart grid integration, EV smart charging scheduling, charging hub design, and multi-energy microgrid design.
• MERLIN Research Group Research group developing innovative light and lighting solutions including public lighting, indoor lighting, medical lighting, and visible light communication (V2X, Li-Fi) for vehicles and infrastructure.
• Electric & Autonomous Vehicles (E&AV) Research Research area covering socio-economic aspects, charging infrastructure, clean/energy-efficient vehicles, and business modelling for electric and autonomous vehicles, including total cost of ownership, life cycle assessment, and user preference analysis.
• Battery Test Lab and Dry Room Facility Specialized battery testing infrastructure providing cell-to-pack level testing, climate-controlled testing, impedance spectroscopy, and prototyping capability for all-solid-state battery fabrication, available to industry partners through contract research.
• Demonstrator Living Lab at Green Energy Park Living lab demonstration and co-creation ecosystem platform for testing and demonstrating sustainable energy innovations, renewable energy production, R&D, and demonstration projects including Smart Village Lab, located in Zellik, Belgium.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ years of electric vehicle research experience
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, internal and regional.

• Flanders MakecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOBI operates as a Core Lab within Flanders Make - Driving Innovation. This strategic partnership enables collaborative R&D across VUB to support industrial innovation for the energy transition and electromobility sector.
• Green Energy ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEVERGI created together with Green Energy Park a unique Demonstrator Living Lab for testing and demonstrating innovations, and a Co-creation ecosystem platform to bring academic innovation to industrial practices. Located in Zellik, Belgium.
• IEC TC69 and Cenelec TC69XcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOBI has held the secretariat of IEC TC69 and Cenelec TC69X technical committees for over 20 years, contributing to global and European standardization of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
• IKERLAN (Spain)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Berecibar's doctoral work was carried out in collaboration with Technology Research Centre IKERLAN in Spain, demonstrating ongoing international research partnerships.
• Continental AGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Hosen previously worked on energy and battery-related projects with Continental AG, contributing to industrial research collaboration.
• CLARIOS (Johnson Controls Power Solutions)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Hosen previously worked with Johnson Controls Power Solutions (present CLARIOS) on battery-related projects.
• Siemens Industry SoftwaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnna De Gol works on an industrial PhD project as collaboration between Siemens and MOBI focusing on multiphysics simulation of battery materials.
• BPHOT (Photonics)internalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary collaboration with BPHOT research group within VUB for photonics research integration.
• FLOW (Thermodynamics)internalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary collaboration with FLOW research group within VUB for thermodynamics expertise.
• AI-LAB (Artificial Intelligence)internalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary collaboration with AI-LAB within VUB for artificial intelligence research integration.
• IES (Political Science)internalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary collaboration with IES research group within VUB for political science perspectives on energy transition.
• BIC (Batteries)internalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with BIC (Battery Innovation Centre) within VUB for battery research integration.
• BELSPO (Belgian Science Policy Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEVERGI collaborates with BELSPO and various Belgian national funding bodies for research projects.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funding source through Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programs supporting collaborative research projects across multiple domains.
• VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish government funding agency supporting innovation projects in the Flanders region.
• InnovirisregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrussels-Capital Region funding agency for research and innovation projects.
• Flux50regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish energy cluster supporting sustainable energy research and innovation projects.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EnergyVille: Belgian research collaboration focused on smart grids, smart cities, and energy systems, hosted across KU Leuven, imec, and VITO. Overlaps with MOBI's EVERGi research group in multi-energy systems, smart charging, and renewable integration research.
• CEA-Liten: French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission's battery and energy R&D division. Strongly comparable to MOBI's Battery Innovation Centre with capabilities spanning cell chemistry development, characterization, testing infrastructure, and multi-energy system research for European partners.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied research organization with strong mobility, energy, and built-environment programs. Comparable to MOBI as a multidisciplinary applied research institute funded by government and industry contracts, participating in EU consortia and serving automotive/energy clients.
• Argonne National Laboratory: U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory with globally recognized battery R&D programs (including the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science). Directly comparable to MOBI's Battery Innovation Centre, with deep expertise in cell testing, characterization, and next-generation battery chemistries.
• VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research): Belgian Flemish strategic research center focused on cleantech, sustainable energy, and materials research. Closest geographic peer to MOBI with overlapping capabilities in energy storage, multi-energy systems, and EU project participation under similar Flemish policy frameworks.
• AIT Austrian Institute of Technology: Austrian applied research organization with significant mobility, battery, and energy programs. Comparable to MOBI in operating model (government + industry funding, EU project participation), and overlapping research areas in electric powertrains, smart charging, and battery testing.
• Forschungszentrum Jülich: German interdisciplinary research center with major programs in electrochemical energy storage (including the Helmholtz Institute Münster for solid-state batteries). Comparable to MOBI in battery research depth and EU/international consortium participation, though operating at larger scale within the Helmholtz Association.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI: German applied research institute conducting research on electromobility, battery technology, and energy system transitions. Direct peer to MOBI with similar multidisciplinary coverage of mobility and energy research, though operating at substantially larger scale across the broader Fraunhofer network.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish government-owned applied research organization with strong battery technology, electromobility, and energy system research programs. Comparable to MOBI in scope (batteries, vehicles, energy) and in operating model (multi-source government and industry funding, EU project participation).

Broad incumbents

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): U.S. national laboratory focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency research at substantially larger scale. Overlaps with MOBI's battery, smart charging, and grid integration research, but operates with a much broader mandate and significantly larger budget across the full renewable energy value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MOBI_VUB
• Facebookfacebook.com/VUB.MOBI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mobivub
• Instagraminstagram.com/mobi_vub
• TikToktiktok.com/mobi_vub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MOBI