The kick-off meeting on 31.01 and 01.02.2024 in Graz marked the start of the 12 million EU project GIANTS (Green Intelligent Affordable Nano Transport Solutions). As project coordinator, ViF welcomed 40 participants from all over the world to the Hotel Weitzer.

Thanks to an excellently organized event, our team was able to offer a platform for the exchange of 23 different partners from a wide range of industries and universities were able to demonstrate its skills as a confident project coordinator.

Together, we want to create a flexible vehicle platform for light electric vehicles (L5, L6 and L7) for the urban area, which allows the vehicles to be precisely tailored to the planned application scenario. The developed vehicle platform not only includes standardized components (powertrain, solar supply, battery system), but also comprehensive concepts for end-of-life prediction, maintenance strategies and energy management systems, which can be precisely tailored to the application area via digital twins.

A major focus of the GIANTS project is the demonstration of the project results in European cities (Stockholm, Bruges) as well as in African and Asian cities (Kisumu, Delhi, Manila) where the electric charging infrastructure is not yet as well established.

Trust within the consortium was strengthened through presentations by all work package leaders highlighting key objectives, technological advances and planned next steps.
The meeting also served as a platform for networking and relationship building, which will be crucial for future collaboration within and outside of GIANTS.