Epsilon Project (Germany) - AllCarIndex

EPSILON (Electric Passenger vehicle with maximized Safety and Integrating a Lightweight Oriented Novel body architecture) was a European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) project that ran between 2013 and 2017. Coordinated by FKA GmbH in Germany, it involved multiple European partners from industry and academia, including Politecnico di Torino and Centro Ricerche Fiat. The project’s objective was to design and build an innovative lightweight electric city car that combined safety, efficiency, and affordability. The EPSILON prototype weighed around 600 kg and was constructed using aluminium and carbon-fibre reinforced plastics within a novel space-frame structure. It featured an advanced battery-electric drivetrain with energy consumption below 80 Wh/km and a real-world driving range exceeding 150 km. Safety development was integral, with the car engineered toward achieving at least a four-star Euro NCAP rating, an uncommon target for ultra-light vehicles. By the conclusion of the program in 2017, a running prototype had been produced and tested, demonstrating agile dynamics, low energy use, and suitability for dense urban environments. Although not intended for series production, EPSILON served as a technology demonstrator and research platform for lightweight EV design.