Renault is the most important European electric vehicles manufacturer. Recently, in the run for a bigger market share, the French signed a letter of intent with Utrecht City Council.

In this document, it is stated that the two sides will develop a smart solar charging solution framework, that will be used by the electric vehicles. The City Council of Utrecht will provide the testing ground, while Renault will offer a fleet of 150 ZOE cars during the next year. Other two Dutch partners will take part in this project. ElaadNL will take care of the infrastructure, while Lombo Xnet will install the terminals of the network, functioning with a 44kW electricity.

At the beginning, a number of 1.000 stations will be built and installed. The power will be supplied by 10.000 photovoltaic panels installed in the Utrecht region. Renault ZOE is a perfect choice for this project, thanks to its R.Access connectivity and the 22 kW electricity requirements. After the first stage of the project will be completed, a next step step will start, which will develop a whole ecosystem: the solar cells will satisfy the electric cars’ needs, while the parked cars will exchange electricity with the grid to meet the demand peaks.

This project is intended to reduce the carbon footprint of the automobile industry. More, it can be the base of an energy supply system for other sectors that demands electricity. The city of Utrecht will become a huge laboratory with a cleaner air thanks to the emissions reduction and a big portion of green power.