Europe Premiere: Unlimited Electric Mobility
04.03.2011Vienna
Twin city Vienna-Bratislava is becoming the first trans-border model region for electric mobility in Europe.
Europe's first transnational electric mobility project will connect the two cities of Vienna and Bratislava even closer in the future. In the programme for Slovakian-Austrian trans-border cooperation 2007-2013, the concept of the consortium consisting of Energy Centre Bratislava, EVN, Wien Energie and Zapadoslovenska energetika, headed by VERBUND, has successfully convinced the EU sponsoring agency: between 2011 and 2013, the partners will invest more than one million Euro in the twin city region.
Model region with a future
The objective is to demonstrate the operationability of the overall system called electric mobility. This means that, in the project, there will be a selection of users of electric vehicles who will have the possibility of charging their electric vehicles on either side of the border. For this purpose, charging stations will be erected at select public and semi-public places (for example, customer parking lots at shopping malls) for both fast and regular charging. A focus of the project is the demonstration of the user-friendliness of electric vehicles in daily traffic. Of course, this also includes the trans-border availability of services, no matter what the country of residence of the e-mobility customer.
In addition, the future-oriented project is, at the same time, the first joint venture between Austrian and Slovakian energy providers. The project is sponsored, next to the EU sponsoring agency, by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy (BMWFJ) and all relevant regional government authorities, such as the city councils of the towns of Bratislava and Vienna, as well as the provincial governments of Bratislava and Lower Austria.
"Against the backdrop of the determination of economic objectives such as energy efficiency, reduction of emissions and security of supply, electric mobility is a key ingredient for the achievement of European climate protection goals, since it can contribute significantly to each and every one of these goals. With this first trans-border model region, we are happy to be able to pave the way for new standards for electric mobility and, with that, more quality of life in our region," states Wolfgang Pell, Director of VERBUND Innovation.
Since electric vehicles are three or four times more efficient than vehicles with combustion engines, they will contribute substantially to the stabilisation of energy consumption. Furthermore, because of the utilisation of renewable energies alone, in form of electricity from hydropower and wind power, dependence on fossil fuels, as well as CO2 emissions, especially in the transportation sector, will greatly be reduced.
It is the declared goal of the project partners to bring home the advantages of an emissions free and energy efficient mobility and to create awareness for this with the public – with the goal of more drivers changing to environmentally friendly mobility. To this end, users will be selected who perceivably move about and commute within the twin city region. Communication measures will continuously accompany the project.
Strong partners
The partners EVN, VERBUND and Wien Energie are leading energy providers to have already initiated electric mobility campaigns and are therefore important drivers of electric mobility in Austria. Furthermore, they are members of Austrian Mobile Power, the platform for electric mobility in Austria.
This guarantees synergies and the sharing of experiences in the twin city model region with currently ongoing Austrian Mobile Power electric mobility projects, like, for example, "emporA" and Austrian model regions, sponsored by the Austrian Climate & Energy Fund.
Zapadoslovenska energetika is Slovakia's leading energy provider. Energy Centre Bratislava is a non-profit organisation pursuing the goal of promoting the efficient utilisation both of energy and renewable energy sources.
Role model effect for Austria and Slovakia
The twin city electric mobility model region encompasses the cities of Bratislava and Vienna, as well as the region between the two cities and, with that, parts of Lower Austria. The greater area of Vienna-Bratislava, with approx. 3 million inhabitants, comes with a high potential for electric mobility.
Model region with a future
The objective is to demonstrate the operationability of the overall system called electric mobility. This means that, in the project, there will be a selection of users of electric vehicles who will have the possibility of charging their electric vehicles on either side of the border. For this purpose, charging stations will be erected at select public and semi-public places (for example, customer parking lots at shopping malls) for both fast and regular charging. A focus of the project is the demonstration of the user-friendliness of electric vehicles in daily traffic. Of course, this also includes the trans-border availability of services, no matter what the country of residence of the e-mobility customer.
In addition, the future-oriented project is, at the same time, the first joint venture between Austrian and Slovakian energy providers. The project is sponsored, next to the EU sponsoring agency, by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy (BMWFJ) and all relevant regional government authorities, such as the city councils of the towns of Bratislava and Vienna, as well as the provincial governments of Bratislava and Lower Austria.
"Against the backdrop of the determination of economic objectives such as energy efficiency, reduction of emissions and security of supply, electric mobility is a key ingredient for the achievement of European climate protection goals, since it can contribute significantly to each and every one of these goals. With this first trans-border model region, we are happy to be able to pave the way for new standards for electric mobility and, with that, more quality of life in our region," states Wolfgang Pell, Director of VERBUND Innovation.
Since electric vehicles are three or four times more efficient than vehicles with combustion engines, they will contribute substantially to the stabilisation of energy consumption. Furthermore, because of the utilisation of renewable energies alone, in form of electricity from hydropower and wind power, dependence on fossil fuels, as well as CO2 emissions, especially in the transportation sector, will greatly be reduced.
It is the declared goal of the project partners to bring home the advantages of an emissions free and energy efficient mobility and to create awareness for this with the public – with the goal of more drivers changing to environmentally friendly mobility. To this end, users will be selected who perceivably move about and commute within the twin city region. Communication measures will continuously accompany the project.
Strong partners
The partners EVN, VERBUND and Wien Energie are leading energy providers to have already initiated electric mobility campaigns and are therefore important drivers of electric mobility in Austria. Furthermore, they are members of Austrian Mobile Power, the platform for electric mobility in Austria.
This guarantees synergies and the sharing of experiences in the twin city model region with currently ongoing Austrian Mobile Power electric mobility projects, like, for example, "emporA" and Austrian model regions, sponsored by the Austrian Climate & Energy Fund.
Zapadoslovenska energetika is Slovakia's leading energy provider. Energy Centre Bratislava is a non-profit organisation pursuing the goal of promoting the efficient utilisation both of energy and renewable energy sources.
Role model effect for Austria and Slovakia
The twin city electric mobility model region encompasses the cities of Bratislava and Vienna, as well as the region between the two cities and, with that, parts of Lower Austria. The greater area of Vienna-Bratislava, with approx. 3 million inhabitants, comes with a high potential for electric mobility.
