Release
SAP AG recently celebrated the inauguration of a contingent of electric cars as part of the research project “Future Fleet.” The project is testing the use of electric vehicles powered by energy generated exclusively from renewable sources, in corporate car fleets. During a field test, SAP will be the first German company to assimilate up to 30 electric vehicles into its car fleet in Walldorf, Germany, and the surrounding area. SAP and MVV Energie, a regional utility company based in Mannheim, will cooperate over the course of the project to establish the necessary technical and organizational infrastructure.
Around 450 SAP employees will take part in a field test conducted from February to September 2011. Participants will use the electric cars for periods of several days in place of their usual company cars, for purposes such as for business trips. The goal of the project is to study the everyday usability and sustainability of electricity-based transportation. To achieve this, project members are constructing a dedicated charging infrastructure and integrating it into existing energy grids, as well as developing and testing modern information and communication technology to help ensure efficient energy use.
Along with its suppliers, MVV Energie is working on designing, installing and operating this infrastructure, which includes smart charging stations capable of filling electric cars exclusively with certified green energy. These stations will be available at SAP locations in Germany, including Walldorf, Bensheim, St. Leon-Rot and Karlsruhe, as well as at MVV Energie in Mannheim, which is also adopting electric cars into its fleet as part of the same project.
Since over 80 percent of SAP’s direct CO2 emissions in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region can be attributed to the use of company cars, the “Future Fleet” research project is set to make a key contribution to this effort. For more information on the project, visit www.futurefleet.eu.
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