This is the second step taken by Iberdrola, after the installation of charging stations at its main corporate buildings in Madrid and Bilbao, to promote electrical vehicles in all of its workplaces
Iberdrola has just received the first electrical vehicles for its corporate fleet, which are to be used for urban courier and messaging purposes and for the activities of Distribution unit managers.
The company intends to replace 40% of its fleet (around 300 cars) with electric vehicles, which are much more efficient and environmentally friendly than combustion vehicles, in line with its commitment to sustainable development and reducing CO2 emissions.
This is the second step taken by Iberdrola, following the installation at the end of last year of charging stations at its main corporate buildings in Madrid and Bilbao and Valencia as the next location, with a view to promoting electrical mobility in all of its workplaces.
This year the company also launched the IBERDROLA Green Mobility plan, the first comprehensive solution in Spain to facilitate citizen access to electrical mobility, by selling the customer the vehicle, installing the charging station, financing and supplying 100% renewable energy, with solar and wind energy.
The Group’s interest in promoting this type of transport goes back over ten years in time. Previous projects include the Zeus, which was developed between 1996 and 1998 with the Mondragón Group; the Viel, which was carried out at its centre in San Agustín de Guadalix between 2002 and 2004, and the pilot scheme with Valladolid City Council to introduce electrical motorcycles and charging facilities.
Nowadays, Iberdrola is involved in various initiatives in this field, such as the Cenit Verde project in collaboration with Seat, aimed at developing Spanish technology for this transport, or the Merge (Mobile Energy Resources of Electricity) project, which studies the impact of integrating these cars in existing and future distribution networks.
The company has also entered into an agreement with FCC to promote the development of the electrical vehicle as one of the vectors in combating climate change and supporting sustainability. The two companies have set up three lines of work for fostering this type of transport: promoting electrical fleets, installing charging stations and taking part in electrical mobility demonstrations in cities.
Iberdrola is also working alongside the various Spanish public administrations that have shown an interest in electrical vehicles and collaborating with the Autonomous Communities of Castile and León, Valencia, the Basque Country, Murcia and Madrid.
Outside Spain, the Group (via its subsidiary ScottishPower) is taking part in a project aimed at promoting the electrical facilities that are necessary for the use of electrical vehicles in Glasgow. In the United States, Iberdrola U.S.A. is working on an initiative linked to electrical mobility with trucks.
These initiatives go along with the studies that the Company is carrying out along with General Motors Europe to analyse the technical needs of the supply facilities for electrical cars, participation in international groups for charge standardisation, such as the ISO/IEC Joint Working Group V2G (vehicle-to-grid) at international level, and attendance at prestigious forums such as Foreve, in Spain, and GreenCars, in Europe.
Supporting European Mobility Week
For yet another year, Iberdrola is supporting European Mobility Week, with a view to promoting greener transport alternatives like the electrical vehicles mentioned above, and the use of public transport, bicycles or car pools.
As part of its support for its initiative, the company has launched on its website a CO2calculator, which will enable users to find out how much pollution they generate and which means of transport are the greenest.
This online application offered by Iberdrola offers various tips and recommendations to promote green mobility habits that contribute towards reducing CO2.
The UK, along with the US, will be the key market for Iberdrola in the coming years, with a particular focus on offshore wind farm projects.
The company, via its subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables, is already the leading developer and generator of onshore wind power in the UK with installed capacity of 816 MW.
With operations in 23 countries, Iberdrola Renovables is the world leader in its sector by both installed wind turbines capacity (more than 11,400 MW at the end of the first half of 2010) and output (close to 13,000 million kWh in the first half of 2010).
