The Shift2Zero project seeks to address urban logistics needs, reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency. It will integrate most advanced technologies including freight management solutions, energy-efficient heating systems, geofencing technologies, low emission tires, regenerative braking and two-way charging capabilities.
The European Shift2Zero project is investing over €12 million budget to develop innovative designs and functionalities for electric commercial vehicles, aiming to meet urban logistics needs, cut emissions and improve operational efficiency.
The project will address “zero-emission right-sized N1 light vehicle concepts with enhanced and safer functionalities which also include the capacity for dual transport of people and freight,” explains Fanny Breuil, Shift2Zero project coordinator and European Projects Coordination Unit manager at the Eurecat Technology Centre.
To optimise logistics operations, the project “will integrate advanced freight management solutions, such as modular units for mixed transport – including frozen, fresh, warm and dry goods – which means logistics providers won’t have to use different vehicles for different missions,” adds Maria Eugenia Rodríguez, the project’s technical coordinator and Technological Development director in Eurecat’s Industrial Area. “It will also feature flexible swappable units to enable easier seamless transhipment, along with energy-efficient heating systems for passenger cabins.”
The project will additionally include geofencing technologies to ensure safe operations in restricted urban areas and two-way charging capabilities. And by reducing particle emissions with advanced tire technology and better brake systems, the project aims to even further reduce the contribution of tires and brakes to air pollution and make these solutions more appealing.
Shift2Zero’s innovations will be fully aligned with current and future end-user needs in sectors such as e-commerce, returns management and cold delivery, while also meeting technical requirements for vehicles, fleets and infrastructure.
The solutions developed under the Shift2Zero project are to be demonstrated and validated in five pilot schemes representing real-world urban logistics operations across six European cities.
The project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and involves a consortium of 30 partners from 10 European countries involving academia, industry and public authorities spanning the entire logistics and automotive value chain. Eurecat Technology Centre is the coordinator, and other members are Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Austrian Institute of Technology, Gruber Logistics, the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI), Bax Innovation, Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe (ALICE), the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Applus+ IDIADA, BREMBO, Michelin, IVECO, Łukasiewicz Automotive Industry Institute, Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology, Alkè Electric Vehicles, Municipality of Bologna, Wroclaw Municipality, City of Thessaloniki, DIAKINISIS, City of Bergen, Brussels Mobility, the Institute for Transport and Logistics Foundation (ITL), Cold Car, Paxster, DHL Express, Clem’, FIT Consulting, the Institute for Automotive Engineering – RWTH Aachen University and DPD.