The Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, today presented Endesa Chairman, Borja Prado, with the first free-parking discs for electric vehicles. Parking times for these vehicles will be unrestricted in designated parts of the city.
During the act, which took place at the company’s headquarters, Endesa’s Chairman thanked the mayor for the discs and the city’s support for companies, such as Endesa, which are making a sizeable effort to promote the use of the electric vehicle ("EV").
According to Borja Prado "these discs are a symbolic yet decisive step in placing Madrid at the technological forefront and turning it into a sustainable city using non-pollutant electric vehicles".
Mr. Prado also remarked that the EV poses challenges on all of Endesa’s strategic fronts: "We are transforming our company to be able to solve, along with other objectives, generation issues; the distribution grid and associated recharging infrastructure as well as the most efficient use of energy, in collaboration with all parties involved".
Development of the electric vehicle at Endesa
Development of a sustainable transport policy based on the EV as a key element in the fight against climate change is a cornerstone of Endesa’s Sustainability Strategic Plan 2008-2012.
In Spain, Endesa is fully involved in the development of the government’s electric mobility plan (MOVELE), which is managed and coordinated by IDAE (the Spanish Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving) and involves the introduction of electric vehicles of various categories by the end of 2010 in various cities, with a variety of features and technologies. The plan also envisages the installation of 546 EV recharging points in Madrid (280), Barcelona (191) and Seville (75).
At the beginning of December, Endesa signed a collaboration agreement with the Madrid city council, represented by the Fundación Movilidad (FMOV), to launch the Movele project in conjunction with Cobra Gestión de Infraestructuras. A week earlier, Endesa had signed another collaboration agreement with the Barcelona city council to create Oficina Live for the joint development and promotion of electric mobility in the city. One of the main features of this agreement is the development of the Movele project. Endesa is also involved in the Cenit "VERDE" project to promote research into technologies which enable electric vehicles to be integrated into the power grid and introduced into the Spanish market. The VERDE project already enjoys the backing of the Ministry of Science and Innovation and is financed by the Cenit (the National Strategic Consortia for Technical Research promoted by the Ministry of Science and Innovation) programme and has a budget of around Euro 40 million. Endesa has been entrusted with various tasks in the project which will investigate the management of pure and hybrid EVs on smart grids, covering aspects that range from the recharging station to control systems.
Endesa is also involved in other projects aimed at the integration of the electric vehicle into smart grids such as the SmartCity, DER-22@ and REVE initiatives (Regulación Eólica con Vehículos Eléctricos). SmartCity is a pioneering Spanish project for developing a new energy management model for cities which aims to achieve 20% energy savings, reduce CO2 emissions by 6,000 tonnes per year and increase the use of renewable energy sources.
The company is also present in other EV collaborative research and demonstration projects in Europe such as the G4V and Elvire initiatives. Endesa is the only Spanish company present in the G4V (Grid for Vehicles) project which has a budget of around Euro 2.5 million and will run for 18 months. Its aim is to assess the large-scale impact of the integration of the electric vehicle into the electricity grid infrastructure and to establish recommendations for its introduction from 2020. It is also looking at mass use of the electric vehicle, its societal impact, the services and communications required and possible challenges and opportunities. Endesa is actively involved with Enel in research into the EV’s impact on the network and into the development of the communications and systems necessary to recharge vehicles.
The launch of the G4V took place at Endesa’s offices in Malaga in January, and is aimed at supporting the company’s technological commitment to the city which is embodied in the SmartCity project. The choice of this city also supports the European Commission’s Green eMotion showcase project with Endesa and Malaga as partners. Both the G4V and the Green eMotion projects are included in the EC’s 7th Framework Programme which encompasses all its research initiatives and plays a crucial role in achieving objectives in terms of growth, competition and employment. The Green eMotion consortium has submitted its candidacy to participate in the EC’s Green Cars 2010 electric mobility showcase project.
Endesa is also a partner in the Elvire project which has a budget of around Euro 10 million, runs for three years, and involves Continental, Renault and Volkswagen. The aim of this project is to develop the necessary technology, solutions and services to permit constant interaction between electric vehicle drivers, their energy suppliers and the smart grid. Of particular note is Endesa’s contribution to the proposed solutions for the development of communication infrastructure with the energy supplier, recharge control and system tariffs. Different possible scenarios are being studied, taking into account security and interoperability.
