Renault has signed a letter of intent with the Dutch Utrecht City Council, ElaadNL & LomboXnet on Smart Solar Charging for electric vehicles.

Renault has signed  a letter of intent with the Dutch Utrecht City Council, ElaadNL and LomboXnet on Smart Solar Charging for electric vehicles.

The Signature took place during the state visit to Paris of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, under the schedule of Franco-Dutch Economic Year 2015-2016.

The smart Solar Charging Network project

Renault, Europe’s leading electric vehicles manufacturer, and its Dutch economic partners Utrecht City Council, ElaadNL and LomboXnet signed a letter of intent in Paris on 11 March 2016 to develop a Franco-Dutch framework of smart solar charging solutions for electric vehicles.

The signature ceremony was attended by Renault’s Laurens van den Acker, SVP Corporate Design and Guillaume Berthier, EV sales Director; in presence of the king and queen of the Netherlands, the Dutch minister of trade, Lilianne Ploumen and the French Foreign Affairs Ministry’s secretary of state for European affairs, Harlem Désir.

Smart-charge systems for electric transport

According to the letter of intent, the city of Utrecht could be the testing ground for the solar smart-charge project. Renault, Europe’s leader in electric vehicles, would supply a fleet of 150 Renault ZOE models through 2017 to the city. ElaadNL would handle management of infrastructures and the smart-charge standard, and LomboXnet would take charge of installing the network of unique public charging terminals powered by a 44 kW grid connection. Grid operator Stedin would be involved to balance supply and demand of the grid.

Phase one of the project would involve setting up 1,000 smart solar-charge stations, powered by 10,000 photovoltaic panels in the Utrecht region. Infrastructure installation would run side by side with development of a car-share service of electric cars, powered by renewable energy, for Utrecht residents. The Renault ZOE R.Access connectivity and 22 kW charging make it ideal for car-share and smart charging applications.

Phase two of the project would proceed with the partners developing a vehicle-to-grid ecosystem, with the network of solar chargers capable of both charging the electric cars and of feeding energy stored in the batteries of parked cars onto the grid to meet demand peaks. This could be the starting point for a new system storing renewably sourced energy.

Stepping up the energy transition

Through its pioneering work on EVs and their batteries, Renault contributes to the energy transition in the automotive industry by reducing the use of fossil fuels. Renault, through smart charging experiments, increases the proportion of renewable energy EVs use. One of the goals of the Smart Solar Charging Project developed by Renault, ElaadNL, LomboXnet and the Utrecht City Council is to make a substantial contribution to reducing the carbon footprint not only of the auto industry but of all sectors consuming electricity.

ElaadNL researches and tests the possibilities for smart charging on behalf of the dutch grid operators. With innovative techniques ElaadNL can charge electric cars in a smart way, exactly at the right moment. With Smart Charging, the abundance of electricity from the sun and wind is used to charge our cars. Live off the wind and drive on the sun!

In June 2015, LomboXnet introduced in Utrecht a world-wide scoop: a charging station making Smart Solar Charging accessible worldwide. This charging station can charge and discharge (vehicle-to-grid, V2G), establishing the foundation for a new local energy system based on local energy sources and local storage. The unique charging station is developed in a consortium of GE, Stedin, Vidyn, Last Mile Solutions, Utrecht Municipality and led by LomboXnet.

By implementing the vehicle-to-grid project on a regional scale, the region of Utrecht creates – together with partners like Renault - a large living lab for innovative smart grid solutions. This show case implements not only green power, but ensures also clean air zero emissions in the city and region of Utrecht. Thus, Utrecht makes way with Healthy Urban living. Not only to continuously improve its leading position as the most competitive region of the EU (according to Eurostat) but also to inspire other metropolitan regions as well.

Renault has been making cars since 1898. Today it is an international multi-brand group, selling more than 2.8 million vehicles in 125 countries in 2015, with 36 manufacturing sites, and employing more than 117,000 people. To meet the major technological challenges of the future and continue its strategy of profitable growth, the Group is harnessing its international development and the complementary fit of its three brands, Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors, together with electric vehicles, the Alliance with Nissan, and its partnerships with AVTOVAZ and Daimler.

PSA continues it's push back into Iran with a €400 Million investment to produce new models.

During President Hassan Rouhani's state visit to Paris, PSA Peugeot Citroën, which has operated in Iran for more than 30 years, and Iran Khodro signed a joint venture agreement to produce latest-generation vehicles in Iran.

This 50/50 joint venture lays the foundations for a strategic partnership between the two companies. This joint venture is expected to invest up to €400 million over the next five years in manufacturing and R&D capacity. This investment will contribute to facilitating the development of a competitive manufacturing base for producing, launching and marketing Peugeot 208, 2008 and 301 models, fitted with latest-generation engines.

The agreement provides for:

• The restoration of contractual relations concerning the manufacture of Peugeot-branded vehicles currently produced in Iran
• The creation of a joint venture on an industrial site in Tehran to produce new latest-generation Peugeot vehicles on a platform that will also be used by Iran Khodro to develop its own vehicles
• The capacity to export JV products across the region

Coming one week after international sanctions were lifted, this agreement marks the beginning of a new chapter for both partners. The agreement, which will be backed up by technology transfers and significant levels of local content, will come into effect once it is implemented, i.e., around mid-2016.

The first vehicles will roll off the production line at the Tehran plant in the second half of 2017.

The Iranian market reached a peak of 1.6 million vehicles in 2011. It should regain this level within 2 years to reach 2 million vehicles a year by 2022. Current estimates put the number of Peugeot cars on the road in Iran at more than 4 million.

Iran is a key component of PSA development strategy in the Middle East & Africa region, which is PSA Peugeot Citroën's third-fastest growing international market. The Group sold 180,200 vehicles in the region in 2015, up 6.4%.

In turn, Iran Khodro plan to capitalize on the technology transfer.

Commenting on this new agreement, Carlos Tavares, Chairman of PSA Peugeot Citroën's Managing Board, said: “This strategic agreement turns the page on the period of international sanctions and enables PSA and Iran Khodro to start a new chapter in their 30-year history of co-operation. Our shared ambition is to offer our loyal customers high-tech products to deliver mobility that meets the highest comfort, safety and environmental standards.”

Dr: Hashem Yekehzare, President and CEO of IKCO states: “The strategic partnership with PSA will serve as a unique platform, for both parties to capitalize on each other’s competitive advantages; especially given the scale, technology and long term outlook that the parties are able to bring to their co-operation. A particular benefit of this partnership is to bring cost effective and the best automotive technology to the customers.”