20 January 2023

ZEFES PROJECT KICKS OFF IN BRUSSELS

On 19 January, CLECAT attended the kick-off meeting of the ZEFES (Zero Emission flexible vehicle platforms with modular powertrains serving the long-haul Freight Eco System) project, at the VUB in Brussels. The project started on 1st January and is expected to end around mid-2026.

In the ZEFES project, 5 truck OEMs, 2 trailer OEMs, suppliers, logistic operators, and research partners will work together towards the overall goal of accelerating the integration of ZEVs for long distance heavy transport, by focusing on efficiency improvements, mass production capabilities and demonstrating the use of the technologies in daily operations. In 2025, nine different vehicle concepts (5 BEV and 4 FCEV) will run over 1 million kilometres across EU corridors in real daily operations (use cases), guided and validated by a digital platform (developed within the project) bringing ZEV adoption in the freight transport ecosystem a big step further.

CLECAT participated in the workshop dedicated to shippers and logistics service operators, whose aim was to identify the requirements of the industry to operate zero-emission trucks (vehicle combination and powertrains, ecosystem consolidation, business models and TCO…) and as well as the potential hurdles to their massive uptake. Other workshops focused on the challenges for type approval and road permissions as well as on building the necessary recharging/refuelling infrastructure. Overall, these interactive sessions will help the project team to better defining the different uses cases and expected results of the project.