E-Mobility goes public

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The electrification of public transport has become a growing trend in Europe, and there are good reasons for this, given that it's one of the most effective ways to reducing environmental and noise pollution in urban areas.

The EnelGroup is committed to innovating in every area of e-mobility, and thanks to its participation in a number of major European projects this including public transport.

One of the most important initiatives is Zero Emission Urban Bus System (ZeEus), which was recently launched as part of the Seventh Framework Programmes for Research and Technical Development, which has a budget of €22.2million and aims at demonstrating both the economic feasibility and importance environmentally of electric public transport in urban areas.

A consortium of 40 partners has been established, with eight European cities selected for the demonstration. In particular, in Barcelona, Bonn, Plzen, Muenster and one yet-to-be-named Italian city the activity will work on electric buses, while hybrid vehicles will be used in London, Glasgow and Stockholm.

The Enel Group is taking part through its subsidiary Endesa, which will be involved in the Barcelona demonstration with a programme that will test four electric buses and four fast charge stations. Endesa is already working on setting up a smart system for the management of electric bus charging, as well as monitoring the impact of this system on the electricity network.

Endesa is also charged with bringing ZeEus together with another important European e-mobility programme, Green eMotion. That project aims for common technological standards that will enable the creation of electric mobility systems that will be interoperable Europe-wide.