Newsletter Prosesc 2

The world scenario is changing and mobility is facing a major challen-ge: a shift from mechanical to elec-tric platforms is imminent. But why is this happening now? What factors are triggering this inevitable mutation of road trans-port? The “electric car” is not something new; back in 1884 some concepts were developed in Victorian Britain, reportedly Thomas Parker built the first electric car. Records state that they were faster than gasoline cars, with speeds of up to 105km/h in 1899, “La Jamais Contente” was named the world´s fastest car. Then why is it that they were not massively manufactured? There is a simple answer: they were not

affordable. These models could not compete with the economies of scales of production of the “Ford T” no with the increasing autonomy of the internal combustion motor vehi-cles.

Then: why is mobility shifting now to a “green scheme” now? The answer might be found in the industry´s business model. There are a series of restrictions that present this transformation as inevi-table, some of them are:- A rapid increasing number of customers demanding more mobili-ty answers with strong concerns about the environment (emissions).- The climate change is strongly linked to road transport.

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#2 - January 2011

- Possible shortage of oil and expectations of increasing prices.- Strong legislations regarding C02 emissions in many countries. But the road from here to price-competitive e-vehicles is a long one.

Where does PROSESC stand in this matter? PROSESC (Producer Services and Competitiveness for European Sus-tainability, is aimed at increasing innovation in the European road transport sector and supporting its sustainability and competitiveness through improved regional policy making. Obviously, an important dimension in this is to activlely parti-cipate the development of e-vehicles.

Knowledge networking During the event, diverse workshops presented topics related to electric vehicles, e-mobility infras-tructure, technical innovations, good practice and business opportunities in low carbon technology took place. Experts and representatives from the following companies presented their latest strate-gies related to this matter: Group Lotus PLC, Vaux-hall Motors Limited, ABSL (military battery manu-facturer), RLE (automotive engineering develop-ment), Gigatronik (vehicle electronic systems and software), River Simple (hydrogen city car develop-ment). Also the most recent trends in technology were analyzed by experts from the Hethel Enginee-ring Centre and successful projects such as Evalu8 Innovation Network were presented in detail.

Hands on learning To allow all the participants to have an up-close and personal experience with the latest innovations in e-mobility, a visit to the Lotus production facilities (Hethel, Norwich) was scheduled on November the 10th. The whole manufacturing process of a Lotus car was portrayed with a special emphasis on the electric version manufactured by Tesla; furthermo-re specialist on the matter answered all the ques-tions presented by the group. To complete the

experience, the Hethel Engineering Centre organized a showcase of electrical and hybrid vehicles on its premises. Allied Electric presen-ted their zero emissions vehicle (Peugeot Tepee-Expert) available for a thrilling test drive for all participants. Also, Lotus Group displayed their new Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept Car, a remarkable piece of work in terms of top notch innovation.

European collaboration Members of the PROSESC project, as well as company representatives and technological experts from across Europe (Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Romania and the United Kingdom) came together to discuss technology, innovation and partnering. Referring to this event

Embracing a more sustainable road transport model

and the PROSESC Project, vehicle manufacturer’s representative Simon Wood (Group Lotus PLC) said: “These collaborative projects would not happen any other way… with initiatives such as this one and the FP7 funding, it is much easier to incorporate partners because they are not competing among each other.”

On November the 10th and 11th PROSESC organized a study-visit and workshop hosted by the Hethel Engineering Centre in Norfolk (England).

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Study-visit and workshop in Norfolk






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Germany The Stuttgart Region is one of the eight pilot regions of electrical mobility in Germany. The initiative involves showcases for integrated e-mobility solutions and through more than seven sub-projects, around seven hundred electrical vehicles are on the road in the Stuttgart Region. Examples are fully electric Porsche Boxsters and Mercedes-Benz Vito vans, hybrid-busses for public transport and e-bikes.

Hungary The Hungarian company Antro has developed an efficient, competitively priced. The Antro Solo can hold up to three people, who pedal to help drive the weightless car. The other source of energy is an electric motor powered partially by solar panels. Modular solution for more space: two Solos can be combined, to create a family version. Expected launch: 2012. The Antro Solo has been launched recently on a study tour orga-nized by the PROSESC partner Pannon Novum


Nonprofit Ltd. and the Zala County Foundation for Enterprise Promotion.

Italy The Province of Turin, aware that sustainable mobility plays an important role for the competiti-veness of its territory, has deepened the current trends related to the “auto of the future”, from the hybrid vehicle to the electric one. Since the auto industry is crucial to the Turin area, the Province organized a series of seminars and meetings with national and international experts to unders tand better what’s going on in the automotive field. In this context, also taking into consideration the Piedmont region guidelines for the competitive-ness, the establishment of a platform for the sustainable mobility at national level was propo-sed in the Turin area.

Slovenia The market for electric models is expected to expand by 2012. Slovenia has already two charging stations for electric cars in major cities. Slovenian government is currently working on a program to introduce battery electric vehicles on their roads. Spain The Galician government, aware of the future opportunities that lie ahead with the electric vehi-cle for regional development have created on July 2010 the Galician Roundtable of Electromo-bility. This group is composed of the regional Ministry of Economy and Industry, PSA Peugeot Citroën-Vigo Center, Gas Natural Fenosa, Indra, Bluemobility Systems, Energylab, the Galician Automotive Cluster (CEAGA) and the Galician Technological Centre (CTAG). Its main purpose is to harness and foster the development, knowled-ge and implementation of the electric vehicle.

The response from PROSESC partner regions to the electrical vehicle challenge: recent news

PROSESC Project

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Contact details , Project coordinatorPROSESC Project (INTERREG IVC Programme) Stuttgart Region Economic Development CorporationFriedrichstraße 10 70174 StuttgartE-mail: [email protected] Tel: +49 711 228 35 43 Fax: +49 711 228 35 55www.prosesc.org





In the words of Simon Prior: “Now green and fun to drive can go together”. (Vauxhall Motors Limited, Product Manager Insignia and Ampera; presented a workshop on “Technical Innovations for lower CO2 outputs”) a.- How would you define the term "ecomobility"? A means of transport that is the most carbon efficient, i.e. without disrupting your normal travel routine too much taking advantage of low-CO2 transport, e.g. electric buses, trains for longer journey's, highly efficient diesel/petrol engines and EV's/Ampera. b.- Which would you say is the biggest challenge for the electrical car?

In the words of an expert: Interview

The biggest challenge for EV consideration is the range anxiety, cost and "fun to drive." Getting people to realise that cars like Ampera are fun to drive, they are "normal" and have instant torque which will surprise many - they're not what people expect c.- Which are the characteristics of the user/buyer of an electric vehicle? A user/buyer of an electric vehicle or Vauxhall Ampera is not defined, they will range for a daily London commuter to a staunch environmentalist to an "early adopter" of new technology or a mainstream person that has environmental awareness and wants to do "their bit".


United Kingdom The East of England is all set to lead the UK’s development and take-up of electric vehicles after a major funding bid was given the green light by the Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond. Competing against stiff competition from other regions and cities, the East of England’s EValu8 project – to install a major network of electric charging points across the region – won up to £2.9 million of funding through the Government’s Plugged in Places initiative.

By the end of 2013, all local businesses and residents in the East of England will be no more than 25 miles away from a recharging post. The delivery of EValu8 bid will be lead by The Evalu8 Transport Innovation Ltd, which is a company set up by the University of Hertfordshire, a member of the PROSESC project. The Future Transport Systems, which has developed the EValu8 bid together with EEDA and the University of Hert-fordshire, has its technical office at the Hethel Engineering Centre, another PROSESC project member.

Newsletter Prosesc 2

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