Aiming to find out how electric cars and the charging infrastructure can be best coordinated with one another, Siemens is developing a fleet of 100 electric vehicles for testing. Under the 4-S (4-Sustainelectromobility) pilot project, electric vehicles will be given to employee for testing purposes. The project will have three stages and will initially be limited to the company locations in Munich and Erlangen.
The first stage focused on testing the infrastructure is scheduled to start this November and will see employees in southern Erlangen and in Munich’s Neuperlach district testing 20 vehicles. For the second stage that will kick off in spring 2011, a drive system developed by the Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) group will be installed in 15 electric vehicles, which will be subsequently tested by employees. During this stage, the company also plans to set up an in-house electric car-sharing system in Berlin.
When the project will proceed towards the last stage that is scheduled to commence in fall 2011, the vehicles will be fitted with drive systems from the Industry Sector. The projects focus is to investigate and develop new business models, in addition to testing electric vehicle components. It will also look for possibilities of fast charging with direct current, which would allow electric vehicles to be used for long distances.
Via: GreenCarCongress