C,mm,n and the Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment: towards one million electric cars in 2020

 

Electric Mobility Action Plan

PRESS RELEASE

In the year 2020, there will be one million electric cars on the road in the Netherlands.

Driving electric is hot. But all the plans produced so far only address one element of electric driving; cars that have yet to be launched on the market, charging points that have yet to be built or steps that the cabinet has yet to take. The Electric Mobility Action Plan is the first master plan for a large-scale introduction of electric cars in the Netherlands. From two thousand cars at the end of 2010, the coalition will be working step by step towards one million electric cars on the road in 2020.

'I heartily support the Formula-E Team,' says Guido van Woerkom, general manager of the ANWB. 'We want to make sure that the problems the consumer faces are minimal. You have to make the choice for electric transport appealing to the consumer.'

'Cars driving on wind-generated electricity reduce CO₂ emissions by 90%. Just imagine!' says Mirjam de Rijk, director of the Society for Nature and Environment. 'And it's actually cheaper for the consumer in the end.'

'Electric cars are the future. Now is the time to build a solid foundation for the electric car, and that is what this plan does,' says Ruud Nijs, Rabobank's Director of Corporate Social Responsibility.

'This plan is a perfect match for our vision and approach,' says Richard Sikkel, CEO of Athlon Car Lease Netherlands. 'Athlon Car Lease sees electric cars as a key focus area for creating sustainable mobility, and to that end we will be offering electric mobility to our clients and lease drivers in the very near future.'

'Electric mobility is an enormous stimulus for innovation in scientific research,' adds Prof. Bart van Arem of the University of Twente.

'This is an ambitious plan that Amsterdam is very happy to be a part of,' says Marijke Vos, municipal executive member for the environment. 'Particularly in the city, this will mean an enormous improvement in air quality and noise pollution.'

'ProRail fully supports this initiative,' says Kees Jan Dosker, ProRail's Executive Director for Rail Development. 'We are studying the options for using our rail facilities and our electricity network for public access charging points. At the same time, working with a number of different partners we are exploring new, sustainable transport concepts in which new forms of electric transport can play an important role.'

'Eneco endorses the objectives of the Society for Nature and Environment for achieving more sustainable mobility,' says Jeroen de Haas, CEO of Eneco.

C,mm,n is an initiative of the Society for Nature and Environment and the universities of technology TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, and the University of Twente. The main private sector partners are Rabobank, Athlon Car Lease and Logica. Other partners are: DHV, the Municipality of Amsterdam, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works & Water Management, the Netherlands Centre for Social Innovation, Nationale Postcodeloterij, the Sustainable Mobility Platform, Transumo, AutoRAI 2009 and a number of companies in the supply industry.

This is the core proposition of the Electric Mobility Action Plan presented by the Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment and the three partner universities of technology this morning at the opening of the c,mm,n (pronounced 'common') pavilion at AutoRAI 2009. Around 9 o'clock this evening, Prime Minister Balkenende and Minister Camiel Eurlings (Transport, Public Works and Water Management) will be appearing at the pavilion to receive the plan. The Action Plan is being supported by a broad coalition that includes the Municipality of Amsterdam, Dutch auto club ANWB, Athlon Car Lease, Eneco, ProRail and Rabobank. Together, these coalition partners are taking the first step towards the Formula-E Team for Electric Mobility. The Action Plan covers every aspect of electric mobility: the infrastructure (charging points, net capacity), electricity generation, battery development, and even the role of the consumer and the government and the new knowledge that will be required on the part of mechanics and road services. Every action point indicates the party or parties that have to take action. We ask the cabinet to support this Action Plan and charge the implementation to a 'Formula-E Team for Electric Mobility' to be created. 'In order to make the ambitions a reality, we have to ensure that the generation of electricity for the vehicles is 100% sustainable and that charging points for home and office are created. Eneco will be making major investments in these areas in the coming years.'

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