The BEHICLE project will deliver a safe, lightweight, performance enhanced and updated version of an existing urban Electric Vehicle (EV), namely the IH QBEAK car.

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With the determination of obtaining a Best-in-Class rating, BEHICLE developments will be focused on fulfilling safety requirements as defined by EURONCAP assessment. It will pursue consumption and electric range targets established on the topic, by integrating off-the-shelf powertrain and battery systems, whilst maintaining a lightweight structure based on conventional manufacturing technologies.

A preliminary crash test, performed at the beginning of the project on an IH car, will serve as a benchmark to establish an Improvement Action Plan, from which a safer version will be conceived. Computed Aided Engineering (CAE) and numerical modeling tools will be used throughout the entire process.

The improvement strategy will place emphasis on safety cage renewal and on the integration of frontal, side and rear energy absorption modules, as well as on innovative safety systems, such as ‘Bag in Roof’ and side airbags for driver and passenger. The Body-in-White (BiW) material mix will feature metallic materials and thermoplastics with metallic reinforcements.

4 BEHICLE prototypes will be manufactured and tested according to EuroNCAP requirements. Crash compatibility cases will also be assessed by virtual means.

BEHICLE results related to the complete car will be exploited according to innovative business models. The modular conception of BEHICLE will allow decentralized production and local assembly in the user cities. This will provide with local job creation around all the European municipalities in which sustainable mobility by means of BEHICLE concepts will be implemented.