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| Basic Facts | |
|---|---|
| Companies involved: | • TÜV Rheinland • Ford-Werke GmbH • RheinEnergie AG • City of Cologne • University of Duisburg-Essen • Energiebau Solarstromsysteme GmbH • TRC Transportation Research & Consulting GmbH • KVB Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe • DB Rent GmbH • RVK Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH • Cologne/Bonn Airport • Taxi-Ruf Köln e.G. |
| Project Location: | Cologne, Germany |
| Timeframe: | July 2012 to December 2015 |
| Main services: | • Individual assessments of vehicles according to European approval law • Project partners with their own fleet vehicles • Consulting regarding safety issues |
Initial situation and requirements
In the partner network, which has expanded beyond the predecessor project, Ford-Werke GmbH provides the vehicle fleet, RheinEnergie AG ensures the development of charging infrastructure along with billing and payment system, the City of Cologne is responsible for the organizational and legal framework and the University of Duisburg-Essen is providing academic support.
Energiebau Solarstromsysteme GmbH, the Cologne-based photovoltaic company, concentrates on decentralized, renewable energy generation, and TRC Transportation Research & Consulting GmbH concentrates on the development of a Web-based information and service platform. In turn, Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB) is focused on the networking of the local public transport network with e-vehicles, e-bikes and pedelecs, and DB Rent GmbH is realizing the expansion of the "e-Flinkster" car sharing service. Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) and the Cologne/Bonn Airport direct their attention at the everyday testing of vehicles and the charging infrastructure; TÜV Rheinland focuses on the safety of vehicles and their use in commercial deployment. Finally, Taxi-Ruf Köln e.G. collects important feedback from the user level, such as acceptance among customers and drivers.
In the course of the project, a total fleet of 66 electric-powered vehicles will operate among the partners. These include the purely electric, battery-powered Ford Focus Electric, Ford Transit Connect Electric and Ford Transit Electric, along with the plug-in hybrid model Ford C-MAX Energi.
Solutions, results
TÜV Rheinland has already worked on the project in concert with Ford within the framework of the first support phase. This excellent collaborative effort has helped TÜV Rheinland become a full member of the consortium in the continuation of the project.
As part of the colognE-mobil project, TÜV Rheinland performs individual assessments of vehicles under European approval law. In addition, TÜV Rheinland is a project partner with its own fleet vehicles for testing purposes, and a supporter of the other partners for all issues regarding the safety of the employed systems.