European partners join forces to increase the use of electric vehicles

The EVA (Electric Vehicles for Advanced cities) consortium answered the call for proposals for an integrated EU demonstration project on the deployment of electric vehicles published last July by the European Commission as part of the Green Car Initiative for economic recovery.

If EVA wins funding from the European Commission, it will help to integrate electric vehicles in the transport mix of Europe’s cities and accelerate the market roll-out of electric vehicles across Europe. The project, the biggest research programme to date in electric vehicles, will provide a demonstration and research platform for other urban areas that are not part of the consortium.

There are already over 14,000 charging points installed in the cities that are part of the EVA proposal, enabling the partners to demonstrate different ways of introducing electric car networks and maintenance facilities. The project would also accelerate the progress of the development of smart grids for charging electric vehicles and a common platform for developing related ICT services.

The project also aims to assess the impact of electric vehicles on user behaviour, to further support the definition of standards, recommendations, scenarios and roadmaps for the sustainable deployment of electric vehicles.

By helping to create a dynamic common market for electromobility products and services, the EVA public-private partnership will make an important contribution to economic recovery in Europe.

The 19 Demonstration sites are Amsterdam/Rotterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, London, North Brabant, Stockholm, Rome, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Lyon, Madrid, Milano/Brescia, North-East England, Paris, Pisa, Poitou-Charentes, Vienna/Bratislava.

The 17 Vehicle manufacturers and automotive companies include: BMW, Fiat Research Centre, Daimler, Duracar, Heuliez, MAN, Mitsubishi R&D Europe, Nissan, Opel, Piaggio, PSA, Renault and Volvo Technology.