At the heart of ZEV-UP, GIANTS’ sister project, lies an ambitious objective: to develop an ultra-compact, affordable, and zero-emission Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), designed for everyday urban mobility. ZEV-UP aims to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles through its user-centric approach, aligning with the European climate objectives.
Coordinated by ERTICO – ITS Europe, ZEV-UP brings together 19 partners from 11 countries, including international cooperation with partners in South Africa and Pakistan, as ZEV-UP targets both established and emerging markets. The project adopts a frugal vehicle concept, with a focus on affordability, lightweight materials, reduced material usage, and local production of spare parts. This frugal vehicle concept is implemented across three ultra-compact variants in the L6e/L7e vehicle category, each tailored to different user needs. The primary variant is a two-seater passenger car ideal for urban use. A longer wheelbase four-seater variant caters to family transportation needs. The longer wheelbase will also be used for a two-seater vehicle with a dedicated cargo area, adapted for commercial use.
All three variants are built on a modular platform, sharing major subsystems to ensure durability, safety, and lower operational and maintenance costs. All variants also feature a convenient swappable battery system, which allows users to easily and quickly swap an empty battery for a full one, reducing waiting time. Further innovations include in-wheel motors, solar panel charging, and the use of additive manufacturing to produce a third of the interior components, reducing production costs and material waste.
Insights from user studies played an important role in shaping first the vehicles’ technical requirements, and the subsequent vehicle architecture and digital design of all three variants, which were achieved in 2025. Safety was also a central focus of the design process. Virtual crash, durability, and structural simulations were conducted to validate design choices ahead of the prototyping phase. In addition, ZEV-UP developed a Digital Twin framework to support performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, and energy optimisation throughout the vehicle’s operational life by collecting and processing real-time data from the vehicles.
ZEV-UP is now in its vehicle building phase. Real-world demonstrations of specific use cases are planned in Thessaloniki and Istanbul to validate user acceptance and evaluate technical performance. A showcase of the vehicles will also be organised at the upcoming Transport Research Arena (TRA) and the ITS European Congress.
Alongside the demonstrations, ZEV-UP will soon organise a dedicated webinar on affordable electrification and how it can drive inclusive and equitable urban mobility, with the participation of GIANTS. The project’s mid-term policy and technical event is also planned for later this year and will engage stakeholders on the project’s findings and their implications for broader EV adoption and sustainable mobility.
Visit the ZEV-UP website to find out more and follow the project on LinkedIn to get the latest updates.
