Tag: Elektrofahrzeuge

Focus on solar technology for agriculture

The international energy company Eaton and the agrivoltaics specialist Insolight, also based in Lausanne, have agreed on a strategic collaboration to optimise the use of solar power in agriculture. According to a press release, Eaton’s experience in intelligent energy management will be combined with Insolight’s solar technologies. In particular, it will be investigated whether Insolight’s photovoltaic systems can be coupled with Eaton’s battery storage systems (BESS) and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Insolight plans to install more than 100 projects with a capacity of 300 megawatt peak by 2026. For its part, Eaton intends to support the projects with technical expertise and product training.

Both companies will also support the farmers involved in the integration, commissioning and ongoing maintenance of new sustainable energy systems. Insolight’s agrivoltaic systems not only generate electricity that can be used on the farms, but also protect plantations against wind, hail and heavy rain.

“This collaboration with Eaton represents an important milestone in our endeavour to bring innovative agrivoltaic solutions to the market,” said Luiggino Torrigiani, Head of Marketing and Partnerships at Insolight, in the press release. “By partnering with Insolight, we can extend our capabilities to the agrivoltaic sector, where energy efficiency can have a real impact alongside agricultural productivity,” added Anne Lillywhite, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Energy Transition, Digital and Services at Eaton.

October 2024
Canton of Zurich promotes electromobility with over 52,500 parking spaces

Since the introduction of the charging infrastructure funding programme, the canton of Zurich has taken decisive steps towards the electrification of transport. The programme, which runs until the end of 2026 and has a funding pot of CHF 50 million, has already secured over CHF 18 million in funding to equip car parks with charging stations. So far, over 52,500 car parks have been equipped for electric vehicles, which is a significant boost for electromobility in the canton.

Construction Director Martin Neukom is delighted with the great response: “The strong demand for the funding programme confirms our commitment to a sustainable mobility future. The support makes it easier for many people to switch to electric vehicles and helps to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.”

The programme not only supports private individuals, but also companies and municipalities. Over 800 applications for funding for fleet parking spaces have already been submitted. In addition, more and more municipalities are utilising the funding opportunities to develop their electric mobility concepts. This includes feasibility studies and location analyses for public charging infrastructure. Some municipalities have already expressed an interest in installing public charging stations in blue zones.

Carmen Walker Späh, Director of Economic Affairs, emphasises the ecological benefits: “Our funding programme makes a significant contribution to reducing environmental pollution and increasing energy efficiency in the canton. As the transport sector is responsible for around 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Zurich, this is an important step towards climate-neutral mobility.”

In view of the high demand, the funding pot could potentially be exhausted before the planned end of 2026. The canton plans to continue to monitor developments closely and provide regular updates on the status of the programme. A detailed presentation of the programme’s results and progress is planned for the second half of 2024.

May 2024
Holcim concrete is supposed to charge electric vehicles

Holcim has entered into a strategic partnership with the start-up Magment . The young company based in Oberhaching near Munich is working on a wireless inductive charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. According to Magment's understanding, they should be charged where they go instead of having to go where they are charged. This reduces the need for charging stations and at the same time saves time, according to a message from the Zug-based building materials manufacturer.

Together, the development departments of both companies have created a "unique concrete with high magnetic permeability" for road surfaces. The technology is currently being tested at Purdue University in the US state of Indiana. Applications for industrial floors to charge robots and forklifts while driving are also in preparation.

Magment CEO and co-founder Mauricio Esguerra believes that both companies will be an “important companion for the sustainable electric transport of the future” “by developing superior qualities” of magnetizable concrete technology. Holcim is also pleased to “develop concrete solutions with Magment to advance electromobility,” said Edelio Bermejo, Head of Holcim's Global Innovation Center. The Zug-based company is shifting "the limits of innovation by working with start-ups all over the world in order to take on a pioneering role in terms of sustainability".

January 2022
Baden promotes charging stations for electromobility

The city of Baden financially supports the construction of new charging stations as part of its energy promotion program. According to a press release , half of all new registrations are already electric or hybrid vehicles. The city of Baden wants to make the switch easier. That is why new charging stations for electric vehicles will be funded with 25 percent of the investment costs from now on.

According to the city, the offer applies to existing apartment buildings and condominiums with three or more residential units. Shared garages of individual units are also taken into account. The expansion of the electrical infrastructure will also be promoted, according to the press release. Not only could the applicant install a charging station in the underground car park, but others could also be added. That can be done at the same time or later. The aim of this funding is that tenants can also become electromobile.

The funding program is broken down on the city's special website for electromobility. For electric charging stations, there is a subsidy of 25 percent of the investment costs, but no more than 1,000 francs per charging point. To develop the charging infrastructure, there are also 25 percent of the investment costs in communal underground car parks, but no more than CHF 500 per parking space. The development costs include the creation of power and communication lines to the parking lots.

The application for funding can be downloaded by clicking on this page and on the city's environmental blog.

January 2022
Bern is testing street lamps as charging stations

The municipal energy supplier Energie Wasser Bern (ewb) wants to convert street lamps in two Bern quarters into charging stations for electric vehicles. At the end of March, according to a press release, ewb will put two upgraded lanterns into operation at Thormannstrasse 62 and 64 and at Huberstrasse 16. The two masts will be equipped with type 2 sockets, the European standard for charging e-cars.

ewb is responding to the growing demand for e-cars and thus also for charging points in Bern. The test stations are located on residential parking areas marked blue. According to the press release, this makes them particularly suitable for residents of Thormannstrasse and Huberstrasse who have an e-car and a resident parking card.

ewb wants to expand the e-charging stations specifically in the blue zones, because this is where most people from Bern park. The energy supplier is technically supported for the project by Siemens and ubitricity as well as MOVE as an e-mobility service provider. The City of Bern and EnergieSchweiz are also involved.

For owners of diesel and gasoline cars as well as e-vehicles that are not supposed to be charged, the areas will no longer be available until the end of the pilot phase in spring 2022. They should be able to recognize this from the corresponding signs. At the end of the test phase, ewb and its project partners want to evaluate the data and decide whether to introduce such charging lanterns across the board.

March 2021
Schlieren will be electric in the future

The city of Schlieren has purchased its first electric garbage truck. One of the three refuse vehicles in Schlieren has reached its useful life and needs to be replaced, according to a message . Since the city has been relying on e-mobility when purchasing new vehicles for reasons of sustainability since 2020, an electric model was also selected for the new refuse vehicle. This is being built by Designwerk Products AG in Winterthur.

At its meeting on January 13, the city council approved the expenditure of 775,000 francs. The municipal parliament approved the budget for the procurement of the refuse vehicle on December 16, 2020.

According to the announcement, the first electric refuse vehicle in Schlieren offers several advantages in operation. On the one hand there is the CO2 reduction. But the operating costs also pay off. Because the energy costs for electricity are much cheaper compared to diesel. The maintenance and repair costs are also less expensive than with diesel, because there are fewer wearing parts with electric motors than with burn-out motors. In addition, there were no HVF charges – the heavy vehicle charge – or road traffic charges. With a service life of ten years, the electric vehicle is therefore much cheaper than a diesel-powered vehicle, according to the city council's justification.

January 2021
GOFAST and fast food go together

The Swiss fast charging provider GOFAST is launching a project together with McDonald's Switzerland to expand the charging infrastructure for e-cars. According to a press release , a total of 90 new charging stations for electric vehicles are to be built at numerous locations in the fast-food chain. The fact that GOFAST was able to win a new partner in McDonald's Switzerland is a real stroke of luck for the steeply growing number of e-car drivers, says Domenic Lanz, Managing Director of the e-mobility company GOFAST, which was founded in 2016. GOFAST is an abbreviation for GOtthard FASTcharge AG based in Zurich.

The usual charging time of 20 to 30 minutes for a range of – depending on the model and the charging capacity of the batteries – around 300 kilometers can be used while eating in the restaurant. With GOFAST HPC chargers (high-power charging), e-car drivers can recharge their vehicle with outputs of up to 150 kilowatts, the message explains. Ideally, a range of up to 150 kilometers could be achieved in ten minutes. Only Swiss electricity from renewable energies is used for charging.

The expansion begins at the McDonald's restaurants at the Martigny motorway exit with six loading spaces. The next stops are the McDrives in Hinwil, Kölliken, La Tour-de-Trême and Lugano. Aglaë Strachwitz, Managing Director of McDonald's Switzerland, is quoted in the press release: “We at McDonald's have been committed to the environment together for years. Our logistics partner drives with biodiesel and biogas, made from our kitchen waste. We rely on the train as a means of transport, for electricity on hydropower and now increasingly on fast charging stations for our guests. "

December 2020
Urban Connect is expanding its range of e-fleets

Urban Connect AG was able to successfully conclude a seed financing round, according to a media release. The Mobility-as-a-Service company took in 2.5 million francs.

According to the announcement, Urban Connect is Europe's first multimodal mobility platform that enables companies to operate low-emission fleets. Urban Connect offers all vehicles – from electric bikes and electric scooters to electric cargo bikes and electric cars for shared use. They can be booked via an app. In addition, the app allows the "simple" integration of existing vehicle fleets. This offer helps companies "to create greener, smarter and healthier work environments – and cleaner cities for everyone," CEO Judith Häberli is quoted in the press release.

Part of the financing round that has now been concluded is a loan guarantee from the technology fund of the Federal Office for the Environment . According to its website, this “guarantees loans to Swiss companies whose innovative products enable a sustainable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions”. This support “allows us to intensify our activities”, says Judith Häberli.

The fresh funds would flow into the further development of the digital mobility platform, "especially for the control of large vehicle fleets", it says in the announcement. Furthermore, the development of our own data analysis software is planned. With their help, Urban Connect can give its customers data-based recommendations for the effective utilization of their vehicle fleets.

December 2020
Switzerland signs international declaration for e-mobility

According to a press release by the Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ), Switzerland signed an international declaration for the zero-emissions target in transport on Thursday as part of the Global e-Mobility Forum 2020 . This declaration is entitled " Katowice Partnership for E-Mobility ". She was born in December 2018 at the World Climate Conference in Katowice, Poland. Today it consists of 44 states and around three dozen sub-national administrative units, city associations and non-governmental organizations.

According to the organizers, 38 countries from five continents as well as organizations and alliances had already joined this declaration, as well as 1,500 cities and regions and 1,200 companies. Overall, they represented over a third of the world's population. Switzerland did not sign the declaration at the time because of the “pending legislative and political work”, according to the SFOE in the communication.

However, in December 2018, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications ( DETEC ) and “numerous Swiss players” launched the Electromobility Roadmap 2022 “very successfully”. The aim of this roadmap is to increase the share of electric vehicles in new registrations to 15 percent by 2022. "Nothing stands in the way of signing the 'Katowice Partnership for E-Mobility'."

It brings "no rights and obligations" with it. But the undersigned countries and organizations should promote zero-emission vehicles, set fleet targets and work together internationally. Further goals are the promotion of green public transport, the expansion of an intelligent infrastructure, the improvement of air quality as well as research and development in these areas.

November 2020
Quickpac now distributes packages from Dietikon

With the newly opened depot in Dietikon, the parcel delivery company Quickpac intends to serve large parts of the cantons of Aargau, Zug and Zurich in the future. With Dietikon, Quickpac expands the number of its distribution centers to three. Up to 25,000 parcels can be transported daily from the three depots. The subsidiary of Quickmail AG is planning to open further depots in St.Gallen in 2021 and, according to a media release , is currently looking for locations in the regions of Bern, St.Gallen, Upper Lake Zurich, Lucerne and Basel.

55 new parcel deliverers have been hired in Dietikon. The number should double in 2021, it is said. 75 new electric vehicles were purchased for delivery. With 176 Renault Kangoo ZE, Quickpac has the largest electric car fleet in Switzerland. According to the announcement, the head of the Dietikon depot is Matthias Merz (47), previously Head of Operations at Cargo Solution GmbH.

The new parcel center would allow even more recipients in Switzerland to benefit from “the fact that their parcels are delivered quietly and with low emissions,” says Thomas Ulmann, COO of Quickpac, quoted as saying. In addition, there is the rapid delivery. A quarter of the parcels are delivered on the day of delivery. Even between 5 and 9 p.m. when working people are at home. Ulmann: "That saves unnecessary and unecological trips to collection points."

November 2020