Large scale electric motoring, Netherlands

Intelligent network delivers breakthrough

Arnhem, 17 June 2008 - Driving a car powered by electricity shifts up a gear with Essent's Project ZER-X. Essent has developed an intelligent network, the Mobile Smart Grid, which makes widescale driving on electric power a reality. In the short term Essent will make use of several hundreds of electric company and passenger cars. The company has recently worked very hard in collaboration with Electric Cars Europe (and their partners InnoSys Engineering and United Momentum Group) to make all the necessary preparations for a large-scale test period during which the electric cars will use the Mobile Smart Grid.

Essent began developing the project last year, under the code name ZER-X. ZER-X stands for Zero Emissie Rijden (Zero Emission Driving), the X stands for the many advantages which driving on electricity has over driving on fossil fuels and the current hybrid vehicles.

High oil prices and environmental issues demand a drastically different approach to transport in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands 20% of all energy is currently used for private and business transport .This transport produces CO2 emissions and fine dust, causes noise pollution and other health risks. Driving on electricity may drastically reduce or even completely eliminate these disadvantages: driving on electricity beats driving on any other fuel in every aspect. CO2 and fine dust levels are dramatically reduced, it is much cheaper and it is easy to recharge ('refuel') in any plug socket.

Company website:
http://www.essent.eu/essent/corporate_english/