The sustainability gamble

Millions of euros rest on their decision, but it’s not a sweat-inducing hand of Blackjack in Las Vegas that’s causing the dilemma, but investment in sustainable mobility projects.

The shortest road to green

Many local authorities are busy working on developments, such as converting their vehicle fleet to biofuel or hydrogen, as they look to embrace alternative fuel pathways and make transport cleaner and greener.

However, now electrical mobility has sparked into life and captured people’s imaginations, Remco says authorities are biting their nails and getting nervous about their existing plans. The worry is, have they backed the wrong horse in the race to greener transport?

In July of this year the Dutch government asked the Renault Nissan Alliance to be the development partner in the introduction of electric vehicles to the country. The decision makes it a potential test market for the sale of electric vehicles.

Drastic switch?

Pieter Tanja, senior sustainable mobility consultant at advisory organisation DHV, says some local authorities want to make a “drastic switch” to electric vehicles, or think they should because electric mobility seems an easy solution to both air quality and climate problems.

Should they carry on with their current plans or prepare for electrification? Well, Remco thinks the authorities should stick with their existing plans.

He understands their concerns but says authorities should not try and predict what the future holds. Instead they should carry on down their chosen road, whatever that may be.

This could cause a collective sigh of relief across the country with so much money already earmarked or even spent on other forms of alternative energy.

All options take us in the right direction

Remco soothed the fears of local and regional authorities in his keynote speech at the recent DHV seminar on alternative transport fuels. MindsinMotion.net caught up with him for a one-to-one afterwards.

“We shouldn’t worry too much about making the right choice now. We should just do something that contributes to either one of the alternative pathways, so that in the end there will be forward movement,” he suggests.

He claims crystal ball thinking is pointless because so much is dependent on technology breakthroughs, so even the most educated experts could be surprised by what happens in the future.

“It is unlikely that there will be one winner, and all the options take us in the right direction,” he adds, negating the need for people to pick sides at this stage.

Cooperate rather than compete

DHV has been working on an action plan for electric vehicles with the Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment, which has set a target of one million such vehicles by 2020.

Remco feels this goal is more of an ambition, as opposed to a realistic target, and it shouldn’t be taken as a sign that electric vehicles will be the future of sustainable mobility.

The most important thing is for cities to work together and evaluate the possibilities and potential pitfalls of alternative fuels, instead of competing with each other to develop the most appealing and innovative project.

“Let’s work together and let’s use the money that is available in the wisest way, so that in a few years’ time we have the technology base to make the right choices,” he advises.

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Seminar: Alternative transport fuels/electric mobility strategy formation