After seven months, RWE and Renault have already moved significantly closer to this aim. In fact, both companies are involved in the publicly funded project "e-mobility in commuter traffic" in the model region Rhein-Ruhr. The project is designed to thoroughly check the fitness for everyday use of electric commuter traffic together with other partners.
The initiative aims to establish electric cars as an attractive alternative for German drivers. Carolin Reichert: "Electro-mobility is high up on the global political agenda. The systematic integration of electric drive systems into the car fleets has therefore absolute priority for the automakers". And: "RWE and Renault will offer first electric series vehicles in an all-inclusive package with eco-power and charging infrastructure as early as next year. This is a major step towards a market breakthrough. We are already showing the electric Renault Kangoo today at RWE’s electric car roadshow".
Achim Schaible explained: "We will successively launch a complete range of electric car models in the market from 2011. The roadshow with RWE which will take us right across Germany is an excellent opportunity to familiarise our customers of tomorrow with the issue of electric-mobility already today".
The Renault-Nissan alliance aims to be the leading provider of electric vehicles worldwide. Apart from France, Germany is to be one of the most important markets for electric powered cars.
The commitment to electro-mobility also meets with a lot of support from the ADAC (German Motorists Association). Together with RWE, the ADAC is equipping its branches with power charging stations all over Germany.
This year, Leipzig is the second stopover of RWE’s 2010 roadshow after Geneva. The new federal states in the east of Germany are for the first time on the map of the roadshow for almost two weeks. Carolin Reichert: "I am extremely happy that we can also show the "charging station of the future" in Leipzig during our roadshow. Leipzig is not only an important place of business for the automotive industry, but also an extremely innovative city".
RWE has been actively building an infrastructure with charging stations in many metropolitan centres since autumn 2009. Five hundred charging points are planned in Berlin alone until the end of 2010. By that time, there are going to be 400 in North-Rhine Westphalia. A coherent infrastructure will develop together with industrial partners and municipal utilities in just a few years.
In order to make it as convenient as possible for future electric car drivers, RWE is moving forward with international standards for the interface between charging pole and vehicle together with leading European energy utilities and automakers. RWE intends to make electric charging as easy as parking a car and the bill as simple as with a mobile phone.
What is more, electro-mobility goes far beyond the vehicle itself. In combination with a new design of the power grid infrastructure behind, the so-called Smart Grids, the world’s energy resources will be used much more efficiently and especially the used power share generated from renewables will be significantly increased in the future.
Carolin Reichert: "We guarantee that the electricity for e-mobility is generated 100% from renewable sources. We also have this certified by TÜV Süd".
Achim Schaible: "We are pleased that we are able together with RWE and other strong partners to demonstrate electro-mobility in day-to-day operation so as to prove the sustainability of our zero- emission strategy".
