Major Turkish automotive manufacturer contributing EV integration, sustainable materials, and circular economy validation to European research consortia.
TOFAS is one of Turkey's largest automobile manufacturers, operating as a joint venture with Fiat (now Stellantis) and producing passenger and commercial vehicles at scale. In the EU research context, they contribute real-world automotive manufacturing expertise, testing infrastructure, and vehicle integration capabilities to projects focused on electric mobility, lightweight materials, and circular economy in the automotive sector. Their R&D involvement spans electric vehicle architectures, advanced charging systems for heavy-duty vehicles, and sustainable material solutions for automotive components. They serve as an industrial end-user and validation partner, bringing factory-floor reality to research consortia.
Core contributor across ASSURED (fast charging for heavy-duty EVs), SYS2WHEEL (in-wheel motors, e-axles), HiFi-ELEMENTS (EV modelling), REVOLUTION (EV range and end-of-life), and LEVIS (lightweight EVs).
Active in REVOLUTION (recycled PMMA/PP, ELV directive), LEVIS (eco-design, cradle-to-cradle), MultiCycle (plastics recycling), and ECOFACT (LCA/LCCA for manufacturing).
ECOFACT focuses on LCA and LCCA for resource-efficient manufacturing, LEVIS on eco-design integration, and REVOLUTION on ecodesign for vehicle end-of-life.
TrustVehicle addressed conditional automated driving in mixed traffic; PICKPLACE explored flexible robotic part handling for industrial environments.
ASSURED project specifically targeted fast and smart charging solutions for urban heavy-duty applications including electric buses, trucks, and vans.
TOFAS entered H2020 (2017-2019) with a strong focus on electric vehicle electrification and charging infrastructure — projects like ASSURED tackled fast charging for heavy-duty urban transport, while HiFi-ELEMENTS and TrustVehicle addressed EV modelling and automated driving. From 2020 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward circular economy, sustainable materials, and life cycle thinking — projects like REVOLUTION, LEVIS, and ECOFACT center on recycled polymers, eco-design, cradle-to-cradle approaches, and LCA-based manufacturing. This evolution mirrors the automotive industry's broader pivot from "how to electrify" to "how to make electrification sustainable across the full vehicle lifecycle."
TOFAS is moving toward full lifecycle sustainability for vehicles — expect growing interest in recycled materials, end-of-life vehicle recovery, and carbon footprint reduction across manufacturing processes.
TOFAS participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a large industrial end-user that provides manufacturing context and validation rather than research leadership. With 157 unique partners across 21 countries in just 9 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia typical of Innovation Actions. This makes them a reliable industrial anchor: they bring real production environments and market access without competing for project leadership.
TOFAS has built a broad European network spanning 157 unique partners across 21 countries through 9 projects, indicating consistent involvement in large multi-national consortia. As Turkey's major automotive OEM in these consortia, they bridge European R&D with Turkish manufacturing capacity.
TOFAS is the only major Turkish OEM consistently active in H2020 automotive and sustainability projects, offering something few European partners can: direct access to a large-scale vehicle manufacturing plant outside the EU with deep Stellantis integration. Their dual expertise in both EV technology and circular economy positions them as a rare partner who can validate sustainable material innovations on actual production lines. For consortium builders, they provide an industrial demonstration site and a gateway to the Turkish automotive market, the largest vehicle producer in the region.
