"e-Mobility Berlin": Electric Cars in the Capital
The initative
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The initiative encompasses all components for the efficient use of battery-powered vehicles – from cutting-edge drive technology to customer-friendly infrastructure.
Daimler is contributing more than 100 electric automobiles from Mercedes-Benz and smart to the project and also services the vehicles. RWE, on the other hand, is responsible for the development, creation, and operation of a network of approximately 500 charging stations as well as for handling the power supply and centrally controlling the overall system. “The charging stations will be set up at the customers’ homes and business locations and in public parking lots. What’s more, the network will incorporate various business-to-business partners, such as shopping centers, parking garages, and fleet customers,” says RWE Chairman Jürgen Großmann.
The joint initative is benefiting from the extensive experience that Daimler has gained from its current electro-mobility project in London. The company launched a pilot test there last year, in which customers such as the police force are testing the first-generation smart fortwo electric drive under day-to-day conditions.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, President and CEO of Daimler AG says "As the capital and Germany's largest city, Berlin is the right place for this project. The future will see an ever-increasing proportion of traffic on the roads in urban centres around the world. Zero-emission electric cars could shape the image of environmentally aware cities because zero local emission motoring is no longer science fiction – and also when seen as a whole emissions will be further reduced as the proportion of "green" electricity increases. The future of mobility is green. We invented the car – and we will do it again!"
The project is being supported by the German federal government due to its significance in terms of sustainable mobility in the future. “Our joint initiative is a good example of what can be achieved when policy makers, energy suppliers and the automotive industry all work together towards the same goal,” says Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "Our mobility concept is based on an integrated solution combining electric cars suitable for everyday use and the appropriate charging infrastructure. In this way we are decisively improving customer friendliness and the suitability of electric vehicles."“e-mobility Berlin” represents an essential component towards sustainable mobility. Within the company’s approach, Daimler is pursuing a standardised, integrated process covering the entire life cycle of the vehicle. Only once the development, production, operation and recycling of all components and parts of a vehicle are entirely included in this cycle, an overall balance will be achieved in ecological terms.
After “e-mobility Berlin” Daimler will be launching the next electric mobility project in cooperation with Italy’s leading energy supplier, Enel. Beginning in 2010, more than 100 electric vehicles from smart and Mercedes-Benz will be driving in Rome, Milan and Pisa for the “e-mobility Italy” project. The goal is to gain information on how to enhance the vehicle technology, further develop an intelligent infrastructure, and establish open standards. Further projects are currently being planned in Europe and the U.S. | ||||||||||
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