The group was authorized in March 2012 pursuant to a proposal by the United States, Japan, and the European Union (later joined by China) to develop a global regulatory framework for electric vehicles.

The group has developed a GTR on Electric Vehicle Power Determination and on light-vehicle EV battery durability. Current work anticipates a new GTR on heavy-duty vehicle EV battery durability (an eHDV battery durability drafting group supports EVE on this issue). The EVE group has also discussed upstream emissions as a means to more fully understand the impact of electric vehicle use on the environment.