First electric staff car

16.02.2011

State Secretary Hartwig-Tiedt embarks on three-month test drive

For the next three months, State Secretary Almuth Hartwig-Tiedt will be testing how her new official car does in everyday traffic – an electric car.  Today, Andreas Gräwingholt, managing director of German E-Cars GmbH, gave her the keys to her new “Stromos” model.  This makes Almuth Hartwig-Tiedt the first member of a German cabinet to drive an electrically powered official car.  She will be reporting on her experiences in her blog on the eMO website at www.emo-berlin.de.

For three months, Almuth Hartwig-Tiedt will be driving to meetings and events using her “Stromos”.  A real-time experiment.  Other than is the case for a conventional company car equipped with a hybrid or combustion engine, this one will pose questions that have no ready answers in the design and test lab: where is the next charging station?  Will the battery charge range last for a full working day?  How robust is the technology in everyday use?  How long will it take to charge the car?

Almuth Hartwig-Tiedt, State Secretary in the Senate Administration for the Economy, Technology and Women: “In politics, we should walk the walk if we talk the talk.  When you want to see electrical cars on the street, you need to make sure they work in practical use.  That is what I intend to do.  The future lies in electric mobility, for cars to two-wheelers to rail vehicles – provided they are powered by renewable energy sources.”

Dr. Christine Dreher, head of Logistics Services in the Berlin Land Administrative Authority: “Electrically powered official cars are not the norm, and they do pose new technical and logistical challenges.  This practical test will give us important insights on how we might modernize our fleet.  We are happy to be involved in this experiment, as it will help us to make the operation of the administrative services fleet as environmentally friendly as possible.”

Gernot Lobenberg, director of the Berlin Agency for Electromobility: “Berlin has excellent chances of becoming Germany’s pilot market, showcase and testing lab for electric mobility.  By implementing this field test, we will obtain important information on the practicability of electric cars and the corresponding infrastructure in Berlin.  And of course, this project proves that the Senate of Berlin is serious about this subject – one that has great import for the future.”

Andreas Gräwingholt, managing director of German E-Cars GmbH: “To an increasing extent, electrical cars will gain acceptance and will be used in fleets.  The Senate of Berlin is a trailblazer in this regard, and we look forward to the results of this test, which will be of interest to all of Germany.”

More about Stromos:
www.german-e-cars.de

More about eMO:
www.emo-berlin.de
blog.emo-berlin.de

For printable images, please log on to www.emo-berlin.de/presse after 3:00 P.M.