The Stuttgart region is one of eight German model regions for 'electromobility'. In the context of a competition organized by the Federal Ministry of Transport, an application made by Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH (WRS) with the support of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment has been approved. This means that pilot projects can be started in the next few years with government financial backing. Altogether, grants worth 115 million euros from the 2nd economic stimulus package are available for the eight winning regions.
The reason given by the ministry for its decision to choose Stuttgart's application out of a total of 130 was that the model region Stuttgart had a very comprehensive concept which could win over private and commercial users for electromobility and was supported by a strong network of regional industry. "As the birthplace of the automobile, we also want to play a leading role in its further development" said Dr. Walter Rogg, CEO of WRS. "With our consortium of strong companies, public transport authorities, scientific institutions and community establishments, we are in a good position to get pioneering projects moving".
The application of the Stuttgart region featured an integrated approach that links public rapid transit and private individual traffic to urban development concepts and reference projects. An important role here is played by the everyday use of vehicles with pilot solutions for the necessary infrastructure such as public charging stations.
The project partners include large companies such as Daimler, Bosch and EnBW, several medium-sized firms, Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (tramway authority), bus companies, the Fraunhofer society, the University of Stuttgart and Esslingen technical college as well as several towns in the Stuttgart region. Which of the project applications are finally given the green light will be decided by the ministry in a procedure internal to the region.
The Stuttgart tramway authority has therefore submitted a project for the trial use and operation of hybrid buses under everyday conditions. The city of Esslingen wants to offer bicycles for hire with auxiliary electric drives at up to ten stations. Moreover, the trolley bus network is to be extended beyond the city limits. In conjunction with industrial partners from the region, Esslingen technical college has a study project with which it wants to attract up-and-coming scientists to the concept of electromobility at an early stage. Within the framework of a students' project, electric vehicles will be built and tested. Other towns such as Göppingen and Ludwigsburg as well as the Böblingen/Sindelfingen airfield have also submitted electromobility projects.
"Our strength lies in the large number of projects submitted and their variety", emphasised Holger Haas, head of the Location Development section of WRS, who was responsible for drawing up the application. The concept encompasses integrated pilot and demo projects, vehicle trials in everyday traffic, and the testing of new business models as a contribution to accelerated launching of electric vehicles on the market. In collaboration with local communities and rural districts in the region, a roadmap is being developed for the promotion of electromobility. The aim is 100,000 electric vehicles on the roads by the year 2020, ensuring environment-friendly mobility in the region.
For the competition organized by the Federal Ministry of Transport, 130 applications from all over Germany were submitted. Apart from Stuttgart as the only model region from Baden-Württemberg, the winners include Berlin/Potsdam, Bremen/Oldenburg, Hamburg, Munich, Rhein-Main, Rhein/Ruhr and Saxony.
Source: Wirtschaftsregion Stuttgart
