German-French working group on electric mobility issues its report

Federal Minister of Economics and Technology Rainer Brüderle, together with his French counterpart, Industry Minister Christian Estrosi, yesterday released the report prepared by the German-French working group on electric mobility.

The two ministers had already presented the report to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 4 February 2010 within the framework of the Franco-German Council of Ministers in Paris. Both sides welcomed the report as a positive and concrete example of German-French cooperation.

Ministers Brüderle and Estrosi highlighted the fact that common standards for electric mobility need to be developed quickly in order to ensure cross-border compatibility and mobility. They emphasised that electric vehicles must be able to travel without hindrance between Strasbourg and Stuttgart as well as across borders throughout all of Europe.

The working group, which is comprised of French and German industry representatives, was convened jointly by both Ministries. Chaired by Igor Czerny, Director of the Electric Transport Division at Electricité de France, and Dr. Herbert Kohler, Director for E-drive and Future Mobility in the Group Research and Pre-development Division at Daimler AG, it was tasked with focusing on key priorities for the future of electric mobility.

The group succeeded in developing a joint approach to the issue of standardisation. This common position will ensure the interoperability of electric vehicles and charging infrastructures. The working group's recommendations will be put into concrete action within the framework of a Franco-German pilot project in the region between the cities of Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Stuttgart. The pilot project will be launched jointly by both Ministries in mid-2010.

The group's work is open to other EU member states as well. An initial exchange of views to this effect took place at a meeting of EU industry ministers in San Sebastián, Spain, which was also attended by Minister Estrosi and by Dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.  

The working group's report can be accessed on the websites of both Ministries: www.economie.gouv.fr and www.bmwi.de.