21/07/2011 - ThePluginCompany participates in the living lab iMove! The official kick-off for electric driving in Belgium !!

The full press release:

 

PRESS RELEASE 

 

 

FLEMISH GOVERNMENT 

ELECTRIC VEHICLES   

AND IWT SELECT "IMOVE" CONSORTIUM, COORDINATED BY UMICORE, FOR PILOT PROJECT 

 

A consortium of 19 companies and research centres invests some 10 million EUR in a large-scale pilot project with 175 electric vehicles and 300 charging points, tested by employees and private persons in day-to-day conditions.

Brussels, 20 July 2011. The Flemish Government and IWT have selected "iMove" consortium for a Pilot Project regarding Electric Vehicles. This consortium of 19 Flemish companies and research institutions, coordinated by Umicore, strives through iMOVE for a breakthrough of electric vehicles and sustainable mobility. In this pilot project, a large group of employees and private persons will use 175 electric cars and 300 charging points, spread all over Flanders, every day during a period of 3 years. The research focus is on 3 themes playing a crucial part: renewable energy, new battery and car technology and mobility conduct.

Upon a proposal of Innovation Minister Ingrid Lieten, the Flemish Government decided to set up a pilot project for electric vehicles. In all, 22 consortiums of companies and research institutions submitted proposals. iMOVE has been selected by the Flemish government and will be financially supported. Ingrid Lieten: "good for our health. There is also less noise nuisance thanks to the quiet motor and electric cars are much cheaper in

their day-to-day use. With this Pilot Project Electric Vehicles I want to support Flemish companies so that they can compete with the world's leading companies and, on the other hand, convince Flemish citizens of the ecological and health benefits of electric cars." Electric cars offer huge benefits such as zero CO2 and dust emission. And, of course, clean air is Jan Vliegen, Senior Vice-President Future Business for Energy Materials at Umicore, coordinator of iMOVE, explains what makes iMOVE unique in Europe:

the close involvement of car manufacturers and suppliers contribute to the impact of the study. Besides, also several players from the electricity market are represented here, enabling us to show that electric cars contribute to an increased and more efficient use of renewable energy."

"The scope of this pilot project, one of the biggest in Europe, and iMOVE enables us to look for solutions that could expedite the breakthrough of electric cars in Flanders. It concerns technological innovations in the domains energy and vehicle technology, but also solutions to make the switch to an electric vehicle for users as small as possible. Because this research is conducted at a considerable scale, an important economic and social return for Flanders is expected.

 The research focus is on 3 themes that will play a crucial part to reach a breakthrough: renewable energy, new battery and car technology and mobility conduct. Important aspects that will be studied are:

• Interaction between electric vehicles and smart electricity grids;

•Standardisation and interoperability of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles;

•Ageing of batteries in order to assess their lifespan in electric vehicles and consider their possible reuse;

•Power consumption and range of electric cars in different driving styles, weather and road conditions;

•The way in which electric cars are used in day-to-day life and the necessary behavioural change that this implies.

 Citroen, Renault, Volvo Cars, Nissan, Punch Powertrain, Daimler, Mitsubishi, Opel, Peugeot and Athlon Car Lease, among others, already confirmed to deliver electric cars and vans to this platform. The consortium plans 300 charging points on car parks of companies and in public places.The test group consists both of private persons and employees of companies that will use the cars as company, professional or carpool cars. This very diverse user group, spread all over Flanders, will enable us to make an assessment of various (family) profiles, their purchasing behaviour and the driving behaviour in different weather and road conditions.

David Gay, Senior Consultant, Ernst & Young:

benefits of electric driving in an accessible way. Besides, such electric car can also be an excellent icebreaker when visiting a client."

"By using an electric car as pool car, people can discover  the This autumn, the consortium will select a number of private persons for an iMOVE test group.

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