The 2Zero project portfolio expands with the launch of 7 new projects

The 2Zero Partnership portfolio continues to grow, welcoming 7 new projects funded under the 2025 Work Programme that will accelerate Europe’s transition towards zero-emission road mobility.

This new portfolio comes at a critical moment: by 2030, Europe is expected to deploy at least 30 million zero-emission vehicles and 3.5 million public charging points. Addressing these changes requires coordinated research and innovation across the full system, from vehicles and energy systems to digital tools, operations and enabling conditions.

The newly funded projects respond to key gaps identified in the current project portfolio . They address systemic challenges such as:

• scaling up interoperable and grid-integrated charging, including new use cases such as wireless and bidirectional solutions;
• strengthening cybersecurity;
• improving vehicle lifetime and circularity, reducing reliance on critical raw materials;
• enhancing real-world energy efficiency and driving range, particularly under extreme weather conditions;
• enabling the framework conditions and operational models needed for cost-effective zero-emission logistics.

The new projects will complement and enrich the existing 2Zero portfolio, while introducing new dimensions:

• PULSE and WiBiCharge: Innovation in charging related topics is further expanded with the introduction of wireless and bidirectional charging solutions, complementing earlier projects such as FLOW and EV4EU. While these focused on system integration, user behaviour and flexibility services, the new projects PULSE and WiBiCharge introduce wireless and bidirectional charging as a new layer, addressing urban space constraints, ease of use and societal acceptance. They complement existing work by tackling deployment barriers not previously addressed in depth.
• EVEREST and AETHER: Energy efficiency advances from component-level optimisation to holistic, user-centric thermal management. Earlier projects (e.g. SCAPE, PowerDrive, HiPE, MINDED, EFFEREST) focused primarily on power electronics, motors, and control strategies. The newly started EVEREST and AETHER focus specifically on climate-related range loss and personalised thermal comfort, integrating user behaviour, AI-driven control and real-world conditions, complementing what was covered before.
• RELiVE: Circularity is addressed through a focus on lifetime extension, modularity, and maintenance strategies. While projects such as ZEvRA focus on circular design methodologies, materials and value chain aspects, RELiVE introduces approaches centred on durability, repairability, reuse and second-life applications. This broadens the portfolio by addressing vehicle lifetime performance and cost-of-ownership considerations.
• PrEVent: enriched the 2Zero portfolio with a new dimension of digitalisation: cybersecurity. Previous projects covering the digitalisation area such as TWIN-LOOP and CODE4EV address digital twins, software-defined vehicles and data-driven optimisation. PrEVent introduces a comprehensive cybersecurity framework covering vehicles, charging infrastructure and backend systems, aligning with emerging EU regulatory requirements (e.g. CRA, NIS2)
• BELOGIC: Logistics innovation is enriched by a focus on operational and deployment aspects. Projects such as NextETRUCK, EMPOWER, ZEFES and ESCALATE focus on vehicle technologies, powertrains, and fleet-level demonstrations. BELOGIC complements these by focusing on logistics models, digital tools, and operational conditions for battery-electric long-haul transport, supporting business case validation and paving the way for real-world implementation.