Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

The CO2 alarm bells are ringing, and the European Parliament has answered the call. In Strasbourg the key word for the future of electric cars is “standardisation”; more precisely, that means standard chargers. Just a few days ago MEPs adopted a resolution to identify and resolve future needs and requirements of green mobility. As electric and hybrid vehicles become a viable solution for curbing the dramatic increase in CO2 emissions in Europe (but also worldwide), a European standard for smart electric grids, charging systems and vehicle compatibility is set to be announced by 2011. The parliamentary resolution further specifies that European development of electric vehicles should be balanced in order to reduce congestion, energy consumption and emissions, but not neglect other types of vehicles such as trams, trains and e-bikes.

Currently, 15 countries are offering various incentives to encourage the purchase of electric alternatives: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Great Britain. Denmark stands out for its decision to eliminate the registration tax for anybody opting for an electric vehicle.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel, car companies and industry chiefs have joined together in what is called the “National Electric Mobility Platform”. Their plan is to introduce over a million electric vehicles throughout the country within the next decade – that would mean a ratio of one electric vehicle to every 45 petrol vehicles.
Carmakers have approved the German project. BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer believes Germany is one of the few countries with everything needed to become a market leader in sustainable mobility. “But for that to happen, our political leaders and the industry must pull in the same direction”, announced Mr Reithofer, who was backed by Volkswagon chairman Martin Winterkorn.

Audi is also doing its part: its brand new e-tron was presented during Chancellor Merkel’s inauguration of the National Electric Mobility Platform, with the eco-compatible electric vehicle on display in front of the Brandenburg gate.
3.93 metres long, 1.78 metres in wide and just 1.22 metres high, the two-seater is only the second electric vehicle to be produced by the four-ring brand. 1,350 kg (this is the weight of the e-tron unveiled in Detroit), it has a propulsion unit with high torque rear-wheel drive that guarantees high performance, and two electric engines with a combined power of 150 kW (204 CV) and 2650 Nm that are capable of taking this ASF aluminium body coupé from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds. The Audi e-tron accelerates from 60 to 120 km/h in just 5.1 seconds. Small-scale production of e-tron should start by 2012, while Audi expect to launch their new Q5 Hybrid in early 2011.

Austrians are also coming up with innovative ideas: Telekom Austria has decided to recycle old phone boxes in favour of sustainable mobility. The telecommunications giant has in fact launched the first phone box that works as a charging station for car batteries. Is this a new future for the 13,500 phone boxes scattered around the country? For now the project is still at the test stage and is limited to 30 phone boxes, whose conversion costs between 1,500 and 3,000 euro. In order to fully recharge an electric car battery, it has to stay connected for six and a half hours, a motorcycle 80 minutes and an electric bicycle 20 minutes. The service is completely free during the pilot scheme but in future will be payable via mobile phone. Austria Telekom CEO Austria Hannes Ametsreiter has made a formal promise: “A full charge for cars will cost less than €10.” There are currently less than 4,000 electric cars in circulation in Austria (less than 0.1% of the total number of cars) but a rapid increase is expected: in 2020 Austria is predicted to have 400,000 electric vehicles.
A few months ago, Fiat managing director Mr Marchionne announced the launch of the first electric Fiat 500 exclusively for the American market, while the French claim to have launched the first electric car for the Italian market: at the recent Top Marques Monaco event, Atomik Cars presented their own version of the Fiat 500, a “zero-impact” Abarth 500 offering better performance than even the most powerful of traditional 500s. The Atomik 500, which is the name of the prototype, has a platform with two electric 107 CV engines (one for each axis). The lithium iron phosphate batteries (which can be 80% recharged in 10 hours with 220 Volts, or in 1 to 3 hours using industrial electric energy) last for up to 200 km. At the moment, the Atomik 500 is the fastest 500 in circulation: it does 0 to 100 km/h in less than 5 seconds, and has a maximum speed of over 200 km/h.
While we wait for consumers, politicians and car companies to overcome their reciprocal mistrust and get organised to ensure a concrete future for electric cars, here are two false problems we, as consumers, can immediately debunk:
1.    It is extremely difficult to recharge an electric car.
False. Currently, in order to charge an electric car you need a 150V plug: the vehicle will be fully charged in 8 hours. If you want to bring the waiting time down to 2-3 hours, you can use a 350V plug.
2.    Electric vehicles have expensive and short-life batteries.
False. Batteries for electric vehicles are a money saver for everybody. They guarantee performance for 10 years or 100,000 km. Latest studies on optimising lithium-ion batteries will enable the batteries to have an even longer life.

Text by Giuliano Federico

Photo of Audi electric cars.

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