The joint European research project ELVA brings in line technology options and customer expectations for third generation electric vehicles. The objective is to develop innovative vehicle architectures fully exploiting freedoms in design that result from the electric drivetrain. This paper summarises the results of the first phase of the project which comprised deep technology and market forecasting as well as an open design contest for future electric vehicles. In the end, an outlook is given for the next phase in which three detailed vehicle concepts will be virtually developed and assessed with regard to several key requirements such as energy efficiency, material application and safety. Copyright \ua9 (2012) by the Electric Drive Transportation Association
