Ministers Rösler and Ramsauer launch "electric mobility showcases"
Joint press release by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development
Today, the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Dr. Philipp Rösler, and the Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Development, Dr. Peter Ramsauer, jointly gave the starting signal for the German "electric mobility showcases". These are large-scale regional demonstration and pilot projects consolidating the most innovative elements of electric mobility and making them visible internationally.
Federal Minister Rösler: "Electric mobility offers great opportunities for enhancing German competitiveness in the global economy. Only competitive products will be able to assert themselves on the international market. The companies themselves are the drivers of innovation. The Federal Government will, however, support this development by establishing the appropriate framework, above all by promoting research and development. In the showcases programme, the government departments responsible are pooling their competences and resources in order to consolidate innovative approaches from a great variety of fields ranging from high-capacity batteries to smart grids. In this context, I am particularly interested in including small and medium-sized enterprises."
Federal Minister Ramsauer: "Potential users and the general public in Germany are to be given first-hand experience of electric mobility. The showcases function as both test areas and workshops where unresolved issues (e.g. concerning customer expectations or requirements to be met by infrastructure) can be addressed. Electric mobility can only be successful as part of the overall system. Apart from innovative vehicles, the integration of electric mobility in the overall transport and energy supply system is thus a key to success. What we need here is approaches that are suitable for everyday use and customer-friendly business models. The insights gained in the showcases will provide us with invaluable support for achieving these objectives."
The Federal Governments is providing funding totalling 180 million euros for the programme as a whole. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development are contributing 67 million euros each, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety is providing 25 million euros, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is making a financial contribution amounting to 20 million euros. A large part of the demonstration and pilot projects is to be co-financed by the participating companies so that the funding used will produce a significant leverage effect.
The funding notice launching a competition of best approaches has been published today. Consortia made up of enterprises and scientific institutions, which, in cooperation with the federal states, cities and local authorities concerned, develop an overall approach along the entire value-added chain, are entitled to apply. Interested parties may participate in the competition only in cooperation with a local or regional authority governed by public law. Based on the evaluation of an independent expert jury, the Federal Government will take its decision in March 2012.
By implementing the electric mobility showcases throughout Germany, which is a measure laid down in the Federal Government's Electric Mobility Programme adopted on 18 May 2011, the Federal Government is responding to a recommendation made in the second report of the National Platform for Electric Mobility, which was submitted on 16 May 2011. The envisaged duration of the project is three years.
