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ZEFES
Zero Emissions flexible vehicle platforms with modular powertrains serving the long-haul Freight Eco System
Accelerating the adoption of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles for long-haul freight transport through advanced battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicle platforms, innovative charging and refuelling solutions, and real-world demonstrations across Europe.
Project information
Status
Ongoing
Duration
January 2023 - December 2026
Project type
Horizon Europe Innovation Action
Grant Agreement Number
101095856
ALICE Project Manager
Factsheet
Related ALICE Thematic Group
Related Community
Keywords
- Zero-emission vehicles
- Battery electric trucks
- Fuel cell electric trucks
- Long-haul road freight
- Digital twin
Project overview
Road freight transport remains one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise while maintaining efficient and reliable supply chains. Long-haul operators require zero-emission vehicles that can deliver sufficient range, payload capacity, operational flexibility and total cost competitiveness compared with conventional diesel trucks.
ZEFES aims to accelerate the large-scale deployment of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles by developing and demonstrating flexible Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) equipped with modular powertrains and supported by advanced charging and hydrogen refuelling solutions. The project brings together vehicle manufacturers, trailer manufacturers, logistics operators, infrastructure providers and research organisations to address technical, operational, infrastructure and business barriers.
ZEFES demonstrates nine different zero-emission vehicle concepts operating in real logistics environments across major European freight corridors. The demonstrations include Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) and Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS), validating technologies, operational models and digital tools needed to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission freight transport in Europe.
Objectives and expected outcomes
Objectives
01
Demonstrate long-haul BEV and FCEV operations in real logistics environments across Europe.
02
Improve the affordability, reliability and energy efficiency of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
03
Enable longer driving ranges and reduced charging or refuelling times.
04
Develop modular vehicle architectures adaptable to different logistics missions and vehicle configurations.
05
Support deployment of charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for long-haul freight.
06
Develop advanced fleet management and digital twin solutions to optimise vehicle operations.
07
Provide evidence and recommendations to support future policy, standards and market adoption.
Expected outcomes
01
Nine zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle concepts (6 BEVs and 3 FCEVs) demonstrated in daily freight operations across Europe.
02
Validation of long-haul operations for vehicles carrying loads above 40 tonnes under real operating conditions.
03
More than one million kilometres of real-world demonstration across European transport corridors.
04
Improved vehicle energy efficiency and operational performance.
05
New charging concepts and mapped charging and hydrogen refuelling networks.
06
Digital fleet management, mission planning and predictive maintenance tools.
07
Business models and total cost of ownership methodologies supporting investment decisions.
Demonstrations, pilots and validation
ZEFES will validate technologies and operational concepts through a comprehensive programme of demonstrations involving logistics operators, vehicle manufacturers and infrastructure providers.
Demonstration highlights
01
Nine vehicle concepts comprising six BEVs and three FCEVs.
02
Demonstration of two Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS) supporting long-haul electrification.
03
More than 1 million kilometres of operation in real logistics missions.
04
Demonstrations across major EU freight corridors.
05
Vehicle operation at high gross vehicle weights, including combinations up to 64 tonnes.
06
Validation of fast charging, megawatt charging and hydrogen refuelling solutions.
07
Demonstration of electrified trailers, battery trailers and distributed powertrain concepts.
08
Testing of digital twin and fleet management platforms alongside physical demonstrations.
Innovative solutions
Zero-emission vehicle platforms
Development and demonstration of modular Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), including innovative truck-trailer combinations designed for long-haul freight transport.
Distributed powertrain concepts
Integration of electrified trailers, battery trailers and e-dollies to improve operational flexibility, enhance vehicle performance and support more efficient zero-emission freight operations.
Zero-emission vehicle buying decision tool
A decision-support tool helping fleet operators assess and select the most suitable zero-emission vehicle solutions based on operational requirements, infrastructure availability and business needs.
Reliable mission planning for electric trucks
A planning tool supporting the deployment of electric trucks by integrating route planning, charging opportunities and operational constraints into daily logistics operations.
Determining the right vehicle for the right duty
A fleet-deployment tool that matches vehicle characteristics with specific transport missions, helping operators optimise vehicle selection and utilisation.
Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS)
Development and demonstration of Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS) and advanced charging concepts to support the large-scale deployment of long-haul battery-electric freight transport.
ALICE's role
ALICE participates in ZEFES because achieving zero-emission logistics requires close collaboration between technology developers, logistics operators, infrastructure providers and policymakers.
Why ALICE is involved
ZEFES directly supports ALICE's vision of enabling an affordable transition towards zero-emission logistics. The project addresses critical barriers that currently slow the uptake of zero-emission road freight solutions.
“The ZEFES project will support the transport and logistics ecosystem to address the interdependencies across sectors (energy, charging, vehicles and users) to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission road transport technologies in Europe.”
Fernando Liesa, Secretary General, ALICE
ALICE responsibilities
ALICE leads stakeholder engagement and logistics-user involvement across the project through:
- Coordinating the ZEFES Stakeholder Group and facilitating engagement across the freight ecosystem.
- Gathering and analysing user needs and requirements through surveys, interviews, workshops and discussion forums.
- Validating operational use cases, business requirements and deployment challenges with logistics stakeholders.
- Facilitating knowledge exchange, dissemination activities and the transfer of best practices across the sector.
- Building synergies with related European initiatives including H2HAUL, H2ACCELERATE, ESCALATE, EMPOWER, 2ZERO and the AEVETO cluster.
- Supporting transport and logistics companies in demonstration activities and stakeholder engagement.
- Contributing to recommendations and implementation guidance to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission road freight transport in Europe.
Related roadmaps
Project resources
- Project website: ZEFES project website
- LinkedIn: ZEFES on LinkedIn
- X (Twitter): ZEFES on X
- Project overview poster: View project overview poster
Project consortium
Coordinator
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium
The project has 40 partners from all over Europe, representing the entire heavy-duty value chain.
ALICE members in the consortium
Volvo, Scania, GRUBER LOGISTICS, Gebrüder Weiss, Procter & Gamble, Colruyt Group, Grupo Sesé, PTV and TNO.
Other consortium partners
Ford Otomotiv, Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center, Renault Trucks, Kässbohrer, Van Eck Trailers, AIR Products, AVL, Sociedad Española de Carburos Metálicos, Hitachi Energy, Ricardo, ZF, Michelin, ABB, Plastic Omnium New Energies, Fraunhofer, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Applus+ IDIADA, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), CFL Multimodal, IRU, UIC, DPD, Primafrio, Uniresearch, Ricardo Prague, Ricardo GmbH and CV Systems.
Related news
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EU funding
ZEFES has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101095856. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.