Consortium gives electric driving major boost

Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant reports that the consortium - Electric Cars Europe (ECE) - consists of InnoSys (company of the initiator mr Tim de Lange), energy company Essent, the Dutch importer of Lotus sports cars, and green project developer United Momentum Group.

Last year, at the Technical University of Delft, a Lotus Elise was retrofitted to become the Tesla Roadster of the low countries. This demonstration project was intended to "'show that an electrical vehicle can be a status symbol as well. Cheap and small city vehicles will follow suit (...)'", De Lange explains in the article.

Initially, ECE will retrofit Lotus' Elise and Volkswagen's Golf into electric vehicles (EVs). Additionally, it will import EVs produced by US-based Detroid Electric. Furthermore, it will develop a distribution system for electricity (...). "This so-called Mobile Smart Grid won't be needed until people massively switch to electric drive. For the first few thousand EV owners a cable and wall-outlet should suffice."

"Capacity problems are not to be expected, according to Essent: 'we can deal with demand, although we need to spread it. (...) We can provide electricity for the first million vehicles without any problems.'"

According to ECE, all initial technical problems have been solved. An EV's maximum range, currently topping at 300 km, will over the next years increase to 500 km. Fast-charging will enable a recharge in ten minutes. Besides this, a new generation of more environmentally friendly batteries is on its way.

De Lange: "'I can't see what could still hamper a breakthrough of electric vehicles.'"

"The first mass produced EV's should be available at the local dealer in five years. Both Volvo and Volkswagen have shown interest", according to the newspaper.

Read the full article here (Dutch).