SEAT chooses Barcelona for electric vehicles innovation centre

One of the main areas of collaboration is the promotion of on-the-ground innovation for electric vehicles. Here, James Muir reaffirmed his commitment to making Barcelona a testing ground for SEAT’s new green technologies, including a future research and development (R&D) centre in environmental and energy efficiency for the entire Volkswagen Group, as well as the creation of a dedicated working group with a view to collaboration on mobility design within the city.

Mayor Jordi Hereu underscored the fact that SEAT’s plans “make a perfect match for Barcelona’s commitment to transforming itself into a global benchmark city in matters of innovation and creativity. And the automotive industry can provide a great deal of input when designing the urban mobility of the future in collaboration with the city itself”.

Within this field, Barcelona’s LIVE office brings together the major stakeholders –SEAT being one of the more noteworthy – involved in the introduction of electric vehicles in the city. Barcelona also heads the MOVELE project – under the aegis of the Spanish Ministry for Industry, and which also has SEAT on board– so as to transform itself into one of Europe’s most outstanding exponents of urban mobility by creating a minimum number of 191 recharging points for electrical vehicles.

For its part, SEAT leads its own project entitled VERDE (‘Green’ in Spanish) – again under the tutelage of the Spanish Ministry for Industry – which aims to do research into and generate know-how for the future manufacture and marketing of electric vehicles in Spain.

SEAT Chairman James Muir stated that “Barcelona is a very powerful global brand that can help SEAT relaunch its own brand on the basis of values such as design, sportiness and young spirit”.

SEAT to lead development of future electric car in Spain

Laying of technological foundations for development and manufacture of hybrid and electric vehicles in Spain. Project awarded 40 million euro subsidy by CDTI (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation). Joint project with major partners from automotive, infrastructure and energy sectors.

SEAT is to lead a project that will lay the foundations for Spain to become a key player in the field of electrically-powered transport. The Proyecto VERDE (‘Green Project’) has been granted a CDTI subsidy amounting to 40 million euros and will be rolled out over a period of four years. The project aims to carry out research to generate the necessary know-how with a view to the future manufacture and marketing of eco-friendly vehicles in Spain – mainly plug-in hybrid and electrically-powered cars.

SEAT vice-president for Research and Development Frank Bekemeier said “The green light for the Proyecto VERDE provides us with an opportunity to lay the technological foundations necessary for the development and manufacture of electric and hybrid vehicles in this country. This project will give the Spanish automotive sector a major stimulus by providing a dynamic boost to the sector’s technology.”

The Proyecto VERDE is headed by SEAT and comprises another 16 partner companies such as CEGASA, SIEMENS, LEAR, ACS, IBERDROLA and ENDESA. Additionally, the company also liaises with 16 universities and technological centres such as the CTM Centre Tecnològic, the principal research centre and project manager.

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