ELCIDIS:
Erlangen
Erlangen is Bavaria's
8th largest city with about 100 000 inhabitants.The three neighbouring
cities of Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen, which constitute the Greater
Nuremberg Area, rank among the ten largest economic regions in Germany.
Erlangen itself is particularly renowned for its university, the second
largest in Bavaria, and as an important location for the Siemens AG company
which has two other headquarters in Munich and Berlin.Wooded and agricultural
land, as well as recreational areas, cover more than half of the city surface
which stretches on both sides of the River Regnitz over a total of 77 km2.
Erlangen is therefore known as a "green city"
The city
of Erlangen is one of the centres for medical and high-tech industries
in the Land of Bavaria. At present, Erlangen aims to establish a 'medical
valley' By way of its environmentally-friendly policy, the city administration
encourages the use of bicycles and electric vehicles.
The 'Solar Electric Vehicle Association Erlangen' plays an important role in promoting the use of electric vehicles in combination with photovoltaic charging. Presently, about 50 electric vehicles are registered in the Erlangen region, many of them privately owned. For charging these cars, 3 public photovoltaic charging stations have been installed in the city centre.
At present goods deliveries in the centre of Erlangen are organised
using diesel trucks and vans which cause environmental stress and make
the city less attractive to both shoppers and residents. To optimise distribution
and to diminish air pollution, Erlangen will introduce hybrid electric
vehicles in the city centre and the Erlangen region.
Within the context of ELCIDIS, 10 hybrid electric vehicles will be introduced for in-house distribution at several selected companies.The participating companies will mainly distribute goods and mail both in Erlangen city and the surrounding region. For this reason, hybrid electric vehicles are an ideal solution.The vehicles will operate emission-free with their electric motor in the city centre, and will drive on the diesel engine for trips in the region. As part of the ELCIDIS project, the charging infrastructure in the city will be completed with 5 more photovoltaic charging stations. By recharging at these stations, the hybrid electric vehicles in Erlangen will partly be 'Driving on the sun' and therefore uniquely energy efficient and clean.
The ELCIDIS activities in Erlangen are supported by the Bavarian State
Ministry for the Economy,Traffic and Technology (Munich) and Audi AG (Ingolstadt).
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Werner Huber |