New Competition: Canadian Company Asks the World to Design Next Modular Electric Vehicle

ENVO’s Next Move contest invites anyone, anywhere, to design a modular electric vehicle. Entry is free, and three early concepts will be featured at CES 2027.

BURNABY, BC, CANADA, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What has wheels, a battery and moves like nothing else on the market? A worldwide contest is betting someone has the answer.

Canadian electric mobility company ENVO Drive Systems Inc. is inviting designers, engineers, builders, students – anyone with an idea that moves people – to design its next vehicle.

ENVO, the global name behind a fleet of e-bikes, electric snow vehicles and other light EVs, recently launched its category-defying UPT, a modular compact electric utility vehicle that buyers design themselves from the ground up, via an online Configurator tool.

The UPT will enter production soon, officially debuting at CES in Las Vegas January 6–9, 2027.

The original UPT concept came out of the company’s first Next Move 2022–23, which drew 382 entries from 34 countries, across snow, water and all-terrain categories. Canadian designer Alan Tam took first prize for his modular all-terrain electric platform concept that ultimately became the UPT. Tam later joined Envo’s team, contributing industrial design to the final UPT concept.

Now, the company is relaunching Next Move to shape its next chapter.

ENVO Drive Systems Founder and CEO Ali Kazemkhani says the contest fits with the company’s ethos of community collaboration and democratizing mobility. “To us, democratizing mobility means mobility for all, shaped by all: vehicles that fit people’s needs, are accessible and affordable to customize, own and operate,” says Kazemkhani. “Our modular ecosystem opens design and development to that wider community, giving consumers a role in shaping vehicles that fit their needs and budgets.”

The modular UPT: ENVO’s build-it-yourself EV

Most electric vehicles are built for one job. The UPT adapts for hundreds. A single chassis, electric drivetrain and control system underpin 18-plus configurations.

That’s the LEGO-like idea at the core of the UPT: begin with the platform, add modules the job calls for, and get a vehicle that’s right-sized for the task. Buyers can rough out their own in minutes using ENVO’s online Configurator, from a last-mile delivery vehicle to a landscaping rig to a trail-ready recreational build, and many more.

Next Move: contest details and requirements

Entrants propose a vehicle for a specific use, built on UPT’s modular electric platform. The platform and its existing modules, explorable via modular-ev.com and the Configurator, are the starting point. From there, participants design or describe the body, seating, cargo space, attachments or equipment the job requires.

Entries can take many formats, so long as they allow the jury to understand the idea’s form, function and potential: written proposals, detailed design drawings, CAD files, conventional renders and Configurator outputs are all acceptable (though AI outputs are not). Additions and alterations to the base UPT setup are welcome, provided the entry makes clear what uses existing UPT technology and what would need further development.

Judges will score entries on context of use, form and design, performance, technical feasibility and vision, innovation and simplicity, social awareness, sustainability and business viability.

Entries open October 15, 2026, and close February 15, 2027. Participants can submit an industrial design, a written idea, or both. All entries will be judged in the same pool.

The winner will receive an ENVO D50 or ST50 e-bike of their choice.

Early entries also get a bigger stage. Three standout concepts submitted by December 15, 2026 will be selected by a jury to be displayed at ENVO’s CES 2027 booth in Las Vegas, where the company is showcasing UPT with test drives. Featured concepts stay in the running for the final prize, and the contest remains open after the event.

Who can enter Next Move

The Next Move contest is open worldwide to individuals, teams of up to four and businesses. Individuals or teams may submit one concept each. Entries must be in English, and participants under the legal age of majority where they live need verified parent or guardian consent. AI-generated designs and renders are not eligible.

Contestants retain ownership of their work, and ENVO receives non-exclusive, credited rights to display entries for the contest. The jury will be announced before final judging, and the winner will be named February 28, 2027.

Full rules and registration

About ENVO Drive Systems

ENVO Drive Systems helps people and communities move better. ENVO offers practical, efficient and right-sized electric mobility products across multiple categories. The UPT builds on ENVO’s growing lineup, which ranges across e-bikes, VEEMO, MoonBike, SnowBike, SnowKart, and more.

Ingrid Coifman
Envo Drive Systems Inc.