Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich electrified and on the move

CROSSING BORDERS presents concrete results in the form of high-performance charging infrastructure on the West motorway at the motorway service station on the Mondsee lake. The e-mobility project, which is funded by the Climate and Energy fund thus connects the latest technology with a strong advantage regarding comfort for customers who use traffic junctions very frequently.

VERBUND, Austria's leading electricity company, is working together with strong partners from Germany, Austria and Slovakia on the quick implementation of electric mobility for the project CROSSING BORDERS. CROSSING BORDERS has set itself the goal of creating intelligent, international systems in the field of e-mobility on the regional west axis of the three participating countries. As one of the largest electricity producers from hydropower in Europe, VERBUND is setting the tone in the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. Electrical energy is the "fuel" of the future.

"We have been promoting numerous projects and programmes in e-mobility for a number of years already and also across borders, such as within the framework of EMPORA, which was completed at the start of the year. Other projects include CROSSING BORDERS and Green eMotion, Europe's largest e-mobility project. Electric mobility will become part of an integrated energy service and must therefore now already be included in the development of new business models for this sector", emphasises Wolfgang Pell, Managing Director of VERBUND-Solutions. "Electric mobility is the most efficient and, if green electricity is used, then the most environmentally-friendly form of motorised travel. Austria is predestined for e-mobility, thanks to its high proportion of electricity from renewable sources, namely around two thirds. In this way, CO2 emissions for personal cars in Austria can be reduced by 80% by 2050."

The European Union also spotted huge potential in the quick transformation of the transport sector to the efficient engine and utilization systems in order to meet energy efficiency goals for 2030.

The Climate and Energy fund is funding CROSSING BORDERS with altogether 2.86 million euros. The managing director of the fund, Theresia Vogel says "The project has created high international security for Austrian development. Precisely the international composition of the project team guarantees the optimum connection with European knowhow. In this way one can ensured that Austrian companies are significantly involved in the development of cross-country e-mobility corridors from Bratislava all the way to Germany."

High-quality Charging Network and Intelligent Routing affords Customers more Comfort

The main focus areas of the project are the construction of high-quality charging infrastructure, which will be realised together with partner SMATRICS as well as the integration of these stations in a cross-border roaming and payment system. Additionally, a cross-country usable intermodular route planner will also be developed in order to make energy efficient driving possible. Customer comfort is the professed goal for all project partners.

"As leading service provider in the field of individual electric mobility, it is a concern and equally a challenge for us to be able to offer customers an optimum charging network. The new charging stations at the Mondsee lake are an important step in our plans. Therefore, no matter whether one has a normal charger or a rapid charger, thanks to the multi-standards, all electric cars can be charged at the new charging stations. Furthermore, the Mondsee lake is a perfect bridge between East and West Austria, due to its optimum position on the West motorway" says SMATRICS Managing Director Michael-Viktor Fischer.

CROSSING BORDERS will be running from June 2013 to June 2016 and will receive funding by the federal government's Climate and Energy fund as part of the programme "Beacons of electric mobility" to the amount of 2.86 million euros. The entire project volume (including investments) amounts to 7.2 million euros.

About CROSSING BORDERS

The research project "CROSSING BORDERS" will connect the four e-mobility regions of Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich. The project is the result of development work carried out in the EMPORA Beacon projects. The goal is the creation of smart cross-border systems in the field of e-mobility on the regional west axis of the three participating countries of Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Under the leadership of VERBUND, altogether 13 companies from 4 countries are carrying out the research for this project. AIT, E.ON Deutschland, E-Mobility-Provider Austria (SMATRICS), Ecotech, Fluidtime Data Services, IFSTTAR/ENTPE, Ovos Media, Siemens CVC, PDTS GmbH, Ubimet, TRAFFIX and Západoslovenská energetika, member of E.ON Group.

For further information regarding the project visit:

Funding from E-Mobility from the Climate and Energy Fund

The programme "Beacons for electric mobility" is part of an overall strategy of the Climate and Energy fund which is integrated into the field of electric mobility. Along with its other programmes, it makes a considerable contribution to leading research onto the market, including electric mobility in Austria and abroad. Altogether the Climate and Energy fund is funding the topic area of electric mobility in 2014 via 2 programmes with 3.8 million euros. The "Beacons for E-mobility" from BMVIT and the Climate fund support innovative research and development projects. Since the start of 2009, there have altogether been nine projects which have received a total funding amount of 31.1 million euros, which have triggered more than 70 million euros in investment. The projects pursue one main goal: to rapidly establish innovative technology on the market and in this way to position Austria as a leader in innovation internationally. According to the current evaluation of the "Beacons for electric mobility" programme through the Swiss consultancy firm Prognos AG, all projects are showing considerable advances and have made a significant contribution to making sure Austrian companies are leading in innovation.

About SMATRICS

SMATRICS, a joint venture by VERBUND and Siemens Österreich, will be the first provider of and will create an Austrian-wide high-performance charging infrastructure for the speedier charging of electrified vehicles. The electricity will come from 100% Austrian hydropower. Summer 2014 will see the completion of a nationwide supply with at least one charging station within an area of 60km. There will then be a concentration of stations along the main routes as well as in areas with a high population density. Tailor-made mobility packages including access to the public network, the installation and maintenance of a wallbox at home and at the workplace, a mobile app with a charging station finder as well as further helpful services are all part of the offer. For pioneers there is an introductory deal starting at 14.90 euros a month. For further information please visit: www.smatrics.com.

About VERBUND

VERBUND is Austria's leading electricity company and one of the biggest electricity producers from hydropower in Europe. It generates more than four fifths of its electricity from hydropower, added to by heat and wind energy. VERBUND takes care of around 1 million electricity customers, including its shareholders and deals in electricity in 13 countries. In 2013, a yearly turnover of 3.3 billion euros was generated by around 3000 employees. With its subsidiaries and partners, VERBUND is active from electricity production to transport to international trading and marketing. Since 1988, VERBUND has been listed on the Vienna stock exchange, 51% of its equity is owned by the Republic of Austria.
For further information please visit: www.verbund.com.