Eli will show a faster ZERO MX microcar at EICMA in Milan this week

Eli Electric Vehicles will reveal the ZERO MX, a faster version of its tiny two-seat electric microcar, at EICMA in Milan this week. The company teased the car on Instagram ahead of the show and said it will appear in Hall 22 at Stand B40.

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The original Eli ZERO tops out at 45 km/h, or 28 mph. The new model is described as an L7e vehicle, a European class that normally allows much higher speeds, and the top speed has not been confirmed.

L6e versus L7e: what the new class changes

European rules sort small electric vehicles into quadricycle classes, and the class decides how fast and how heavy a car may be. The familiar Eli ZERO is an L6e light quadricycle, capped at 45 km/h, which suits city streets and young drivers but little else. Electrek, which broke the news on November 1, says L7e vehicles typically reach 80 to 90 km/h, or 50 to 56 mph, which is the difference between keeping up with traffic on a ring road and being a rolling obstacle. Eli itself has not published a figure for the MX. The Instagram post names the car and the class, nothing more.

That leaves the pre-show evidence thin, but not empty. Eli's Italian site already lists two versions of the standard ZERO: an L6e starting at 10,900 euros and an L7e listed from 17,900 euros, with the L7e described as a newer version. The page claims up to 200 km of range from a 96-volt battery and gives no test conditions or capacity, according to Eli's Italian website.

Eli’s Race Edition teaser and its missing specs

The same post teased a Race Edition. Its promotional artwork shows a dark, sporty ZERO with red accents and an open-sided cabin. Electrek says it may include race seats and alternative doors, but it is unclear whether Race means extra performance or only a styling package. Electrek also notes that the caption presents the Race Edition and the ZERO MX as separate items, while the artwork hints at a second-generation ZERO, so the relationship between them is one of the open questions for Milan.

The artwork matters because a microcar like this is defined by its proportions. Eli's ZERO measures 2,250 mm long, 1,380 mm wide and 1,588 mm high on a 1,600 mm wheelbase, according to the 1000PS specification listing, which also credits it with riding modes, a combined brake system, steering assist and LED lighting. Those figures put the ZERO closer to a scooter with a roof than to a supermini, and a faster class raises the question of whether the chassis will change.

The company's background adds context. The ZERO was designed in Los Angeles, earned the iF World Design Award in 2021, and uses an aluminum frame and aluminum wheels, according to Eli's Italian page. The same page says the minimum driver age is 14, a figure that the page does not tie to a specific version, so it may not carry over automatically to a faster L7e car, where licensing and age limits may differ by country. Buyers comparing the two versions should therefore check local rules, because the 7,000-euro gap between the listed prices buys speed, and possibly a different set of eligibility requirements.

EICMA, Milan and the two-wheel crowd

EICMA is Milan's motorcycle show, so a four-wheeler taking a stand there is notable. The organizers list the show as November 3 to 8 at Milano Rho-Fiera, with the first two days for press and trade operators and November 5 to 8 open to the public, per the EICMA event page. A microcar maker choosing that venue is aiming at an audience used to small, light electric vehicles, and Hall 22 is where Eli says visitors will find it.

Electrek says its staff plan to attend. The site tested the original ZERO several years ago in a first ride in 2022, which gives a baseline for how the new model compares once its figures are released.

One reader comment on Electrek, from a user named Stuart, argued that a faster low-speed vehicle able to cruise at about 40 mph would suit most urban and suburban streets, though not freeways. That is a reader's view, not a company claim, but it marks the gap the MX could fill: a vehicle with more reach than a 45 km/h microcar, without the cost and mass of a full car.

The details that decide the ZERO MX are the top speed, range, price and power output. None have been given. If the L7e ZERO on Eli's site is any guide, the claimed 85 km/h and 200 km figures that Electrek found there could apply, but Electrek itself says the teaser does not confirm that. The company's Milan stand is where the real numbers should appear.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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