Electric vehicles are totally or partially propelled by an electric engine powered by batteries that are recharged at charging points. Their use is positive for the environment, since this technology helps reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Endesa is committed to developing electric vehicles as one of the main ways to combat climate change and to achieve the EU's "20-20-20" targets: a 20% reduction in C02 emissions, a 20% improvement in energy efficiency and 20% of energy coming from renewables.
PHOTOS: Electric vehicle album
VIDEO: How electric vehicles work
Endesa AND E-MOBILITY
To develop e-mobility, Endesa has entered into agreements with leading electric vehicle manufacturers, ancillary service providers, research institutes and public sector authorities.
Endesa is participating in Spanish, European and worldwide research projects:
- Plan Movele, the Government initiative to introduce electric vehicles and charging points in urban environments
- Endesa is also involved in the leading Spanish technology initiatives (Cenit VERDE and the DER22@ y REVE projects) and has signed agreements with leading companies to promote e-mobility.
- Smartcity, the project led by Endesa in Malaga and Barcelona that foresees a new model of energy management
- Elvire and Green eMotion, for the development of technologies and the evaluation of solutions that optimise the integration of electric vehicles
- Internationally, an agreement has been signed with the Japanese government to develop Zem2All, a showcase Smart Community project in Malaga.
The company heads up projects for the operational development of charging systems to enable the actual introduction of electric vehicles. Endesa has developed a prototype V2G (Vehicle to Grid) charger that enables electric vehicles to return stored power to the grid. Developed by Endesa in conjunction with the CITCEA centre of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), this innovative system is currently being validated in a lab before being rolled out to Endesa’s Smartcity in Malaga for testing in a real environment with real users. They hope the charger will become a reality in 2020.
Endesa holds the European presidency in 2011-2012 of CHAdeMO, the association that provides the most extensive fast charge service for electric vehicles anywhere in the world; and it has signed agreements with important entities to roll out e-mobility throughout Spain.
Endesa has entered into agreements with public bodies and authorities which are indispensible to promoting and introducing electric vehicles. Endesa has teamed up with city councils throughout Spain - in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Palma de Mallorca, among others - to support programmes that will encourage citizens to use this type of mobility on a daily basis.
WHAT DOES Endesa OFFER?
Apart from the electricity supply, Endesa offers the charging infrastructure and installation of charging points. There are two types of charging:
• Conventional charging, which uses electricity intensity and voltage at the same level as residential housing. The battery charging process takes some 6-8 hours. This solution is ideal for charging an electric vehicle during the night in a residential garage.
• Fast charge: uses greater intensity of electricity and achieves a driving range of 60 km in approximately 10 minutes.
Charging may be carried out at home or in the street.
At home: wall sockets are used at single-family homes. This is a charging point with a built-in cable to directly supply power to the vehicle.
In the street: there are charging points in the street and in car parks for either public or private use. The website of IDAE (the Spanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving) lists all the public points where electric vehicles can be recharged. The process is very simple: the user just plugs in and unplugs the car from the charging point with the cable included in the vehicle.
FAQs
How much does an electric vehicle cost? Electric vehicles currently cost more than conventional fuel-run vehicles. This is especially true if they are equipped with Lithium batteries. However, the cost of the energy needed to drive them and maintenance costs are lower. Further, these vehicles carry a number of incentives.
What is the consumption of an electric vehicle? According to information provided by manufacturers, the consumption of a vehicle varies between 16kWh/100 km for an urban utility vehicle and 30kWh/100km for a microbus.
What driving range do they have? The driving range of an electric vehicle depends on the model and on the battery. Vehicles equipped with lithium batteries (the most technologically advanced) can have a driving range of around 150 km.
Is it cheaper to charge a vehicle with electricity than to refuel with petrol? Depending on the size, for an average consumption of 16 kWh/100km, recharging at night may cost approximately €1.5/100 km, compared to a minimum of €6/100 km for a traditional fuel combustion vehicle (estimate obtained from the IDEA database and average petrol prices in Spain in 2010).
Are there any other savings? Maintenance costs are also much lower (no oil or lubricants, minimal wear and tear on the brakes, no mechanical transmission, etc.). And, of course, the savings gained in terms of CO2, NOx and particle emissions.
What electric vehicles are ready for fast charging? At present, the CHAdeMO protocol for fast charging is the most widespread in the world. Numerous vehicles have the CHdeMO fast charge interface, including: Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, PSA Peugeot-Citroën. Examples of these vehicles: Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Nissan LEAF, Peugeot i-On, Citroën C-Zero etc.
Where are the charging points? Charging points are in the street.
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