Experience the electric future

Optimism all round amongst the people actually driving electric cars, whether professionally or private. Mail and express company TNT went from one to fifty electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK within three years and then decided to extent their pilot to other European countries.

Peripheral circumstances
However, as we reported last year, TNT Germany has set its cards on compressed natural gas (CNG), hoping to switch to biogas in the future. In the Netherlands TNT is still piloting EVs. Why these different strategies?

“Peripheral circumstances are different everywhere”, says TNT CO2 manager Mr Bjorn Sawilla. “They explain how you can have a viable business case in one European country and a very challenging one in another. In London we have congestion charge, plus a customer dense network. In general, for us EVs are only interesting for 'pick up and delivery' with many stops in a small area.”

Bjorn continues: “For long distance hauling the action radius and the capacity of EVs is too small. That's why we'll probably never be able to replace one hundred per cent of our vehicles with EVs. But they are without a doubt the most promising form of inner city pick up and delivery, because they have zero emission. And our chauffeurs are very happy driving EVs. There simply aren't any disadvantages.”

One million
Ms Marjan Minnesma, president of non-profit organisation Urgenda, has come to the same conclusion. Together with Electric Mobility Netherlands (Elmonet) Urgenda tries to stimulate large-scale introduction of (non-converted) EVs on the Dutch roads. Large-scale, to them, means one million EVs by 2020, starting with five hundred fully electric Th!nk city cars to be imported this year, the first eight of which have just arrived.

The parties buying them “are all frontrunners within their own context,” Minnesma stresses. They range from Amsterdam and Zaanstad, aiming to become 'climate neutral cities', to small rental company StudentCar. Lease companies are the main object of interest, they are crucial to the one million cars goal.

Curious
Marjan drives a Th!nk herself. “People ask me 'can I go for a round?' and men all want to take a look under the bonnet. People are curious as to the costs and how fast the Th!nk can go.

And many are surprised to see that fully electric cars are already on the market. News stories suggesting that this would take until the second half of the century have been very misleading. We can realise large-scale EV use in ten years.” Precisely those stories were the reason to start this short series.

Back to the professional chauffeurs. What makes the TNT drivers enthusiastic about EVs? “It is classy and they get good response from customers, which makes them proud,” says Bjorn. “And the vehicles function well. With very few moving parts, there is little that can break, so maintenance is infrequent and cheap.”

National pilots
“Using CNG, like TNT Germany, has many benefits on local air quality but is only a temporary solution, because it doesn't solve the problem of CO2 emissions. A next step, to biogas, could cut emissions, but would require building dedicated filling stations or trading of biogas certificates,” says Bjorn. “Because of the different peripheral circumstances, there isn't one solution that fits all. We have had national pilots with CNG, large EVs, hybids and biofuels. Based on these experiences we see EVs as the future. Until then, other transition technologies, like CNG and biogas, will also play an important role”.

TNT currently uses one EV truck in Eindhoven and one EV van in Rotterdam, linked to the Rotterdam Climate initiative. “I expect that in the long run EVs will attain a positive business case in the Netherlands. But they haven't yet. Initial municipal or national government support is necessary.”

Open letter
The same goes for Urgenda. Has their open letter of last March 25th to spatial planning and environment minister Ms Jacqueline Cramer already sorted an effect? The letter asked for extra stimulating measures to help the Dutch industry acquire an internationally leading position in electric driving, or 'E-mobility'.

Marjan announces that the car purchase tax (BPM) relief, granted only until 2012, will be extended. “All initiatives help,” Marjan stresses. “Discussion about a 'new green deal' urges political leaders to think about our future industries. The automobile industry only needs a hand to get over the first expensive hurdle. A plea for such help, coming from GroenLinks [the Dutch green party, MiM] in a parliamentary discussion of the measures needed to tackle the crisis, helped a great deal.” Marjan confirms that the current financial crisis can actually speed up things in EV land.

“But more needs to be done. A way to integrate EV financial compensation into the coming pay-per-kilometre scheme must be found. And much more is possible. In Norway EVs are allowed on bus lanes and there is no VAT on EVs. To abolished VAT here, would require EU legislation. But let's try unconventional measures. Let a few cities grant EVs access to bus lanes and hard shoulders, make one lane in the Second Coentunnel EV-only and see where that takes us!” Marjan doesn't want to hear of any political difficulties, nor of the peril of obstruction of emergency vehicles. “By the time we have our first million EVs on the road, these measures can be abolished,” she laughs. And then, more toned down: “at least arrange for lease car tax reduction for EVs and make EV parking free.”

Availability
What further difficulties does TNT find on its road? “The availability of EVs is a problem to us,” says Bjorn. “The number of types available is small, especially in the smaller van section, say the Kangoo type.” In Rotterdam TNT is currently using the Smith Edison (a Ford transit size van) and the Smith Newton truck, an impressive nine tonne vehicle one wouldn't expect to be zero emission.

Although it actually says 'zero emission' on the truck – though still too small to TNT's liking – it is not about showing off. “We want a really sustainable solution for our operation,” Bjorn stresses. “Our two Dutch trucks can teach us more on how to get there.”

Consumer market
Even if the professional and lease car markets will get there, how does Marjan think the consumer market will follow? “It will take some campaigning: convince people an EV is not a hassle, that they can use their own sockets and drive 180 kilometres without recharging,” she says. “EVs will long remain too expensive for the average citizen; buyers will be those who want to be noticed for their special car and those for whom sustainability is important enough to pay extra.”

Marjan doesn't share the concern about second hand value, which Fred Hagendoorn and Frits Hermans of the Dutch Platform for Sustainable Mobility voiced in part two of our series. They say a second hand EV is unattractive because the battery will have to be replaced soon, which will cost you.

“Battery prices will drop quickly,” Marjan assures us. “Besides, on average people change cars every three years, which makes the battery not an issue for the first three users. Also, research is being done into recycling batteries and when they cannot be used in cars, they can still have a stationary life. In case of uncertainty, people always say something is impossible. The same was said about the Prius, which I drove before. But with 200,000 kilometres on the metre I could sell mine for EUR 10,000.”

Standard
She adds: “What's most important: E-mobility must become the new standard. Newly built houses must be equipped with an outdoor socket without further ado. In the near future every house must be energy supplying. We must now start to think in terms of the next generation.”

Related articles

Electric vehicles soon to boom - part I

All in due time - part II