Interview: Ralph Griewing, Head of Electromobility Activities, Siemens Energy

On March 31, 2011, the European Commission launched the Green eMotion Initiative to promote electromobility in Europe. Forty-two partners including industrial companies, automobile manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, universities, and technology and research institutions, will share their knowledge and expertise on e-mobility. As the lead company in the Green eMotion research consortium, Siemens will contribute to the development of software and infrastructure solutions, and to the establishment of industrial standards.
The GCRI spoke with Ralph Griewing, Head of Electromobility Activities at Siemens Energy, about this new Green eMotion Initiative. In addition, Mr. Griewing speaks about the German government's goal of having one million e-cars on German streets by 2020; the role of smart grid in developing new infrastructures, and the differences between plug-in e-cars versus hybrids or hydrogen fuel vehicles. To watch a video of Mr. Griewing discussing some of the aforementioned topics, click here.
A graduate of theoretical electrical engineering at the University of Siegen and the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Ralph Griewing started his career at Siemens AG in 1991 in the company's Communications Systems group. Since March 2010 he has been in charge of setting up global electromobility business at Siemens AG, where he has executive responsibility for planning, production, marketing & sales, and project planning in the U.S., China, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. To read the full interview, click here. 

From Test Lab to Model City

From the new generation of transmission-integrated electric engines in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz hybrid to the development of new batteries from companies like BAE and Continental, there are more practical electromobility projects in Berlin than in most other German cities. With the goal of making Berlin the top German market and supplier for electromobility as Germany itself becomes a global market leader, eMO, the Berlin Agency for Electromobility, intends to transform this city from test lab to epicenter.
As part of the Berlin senate's "Industrial City Berlin 2010-2020" program, eMO serves as a milestone on the city's road to becoming the capital green economy. Combining the competencies of science, industry and politics in the German capital region, the agency works to coordinate and encourage the development of the entire value chain for electric vehicles - including research, development, production, testing and application.
eMO is involved in multiple projects across Berlin that connect the city's unique concentration of university and non-university institutions with transport and mobility research. Current project goals include the integration of electric car fleets into public transportation, analysis of the acoustic effects on the environment of electric and fuel cell vehicles, and increasing the number of charging stations in Berlin to a total of 500, the largest of such networks in Germany. To learn more about eMO please click here.  

Picture: ©Berlin Partner GmbH/Dirk Lässig

BMW i - A New Approach to Future Mobility

Launched this February, BMW i, the BMW Group's new sub-brand, focuses on urban mobility. BMWi has developed two 2013 car models - the BMW i3 and the BMW i8 - to be manufactured in Leipzig, along with BMW i Ventures, a holding company founded in New York City with a total investment of 100 million US dollars. The all-electric i3, formerly known as the Megacity Vehicle, and the plug-in hybrid i8 were designed in response to high customer demand. Both models involve the LifeDrive construction concept, combining novel architecture with lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) to nearly cancel out battery weight and increase range. In order to mass-produce the vehicles efficiently, around 400 million euros will be invested in new plant facilities in Leipzig, creating approximately 800 jobs by 2013.
In addition to sustainable technology, BMW i will introduce innovative applications through car-independent premium mobility services. The customized mobility solutions for smartphone applications will include traffic, parking, and real-time information. Bringing together more than 50 local mobility apps in one interface, the iPhone app MyCityWay is now available for 40 cities worldwide, including New York and San Francisco in the U.S. For more information, visit www.bmw-i.com

Emission-Free Driving - A New Mercedes-Benz Experience

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, the first publicly available zero-emission Mercedes vehicle, was delivered to its first U.S. customer on December 14, 2010. Its owner, Mr. Vance Van Petten, upon taking possession of the keys, said, "As a long-time environmental advocate and supporter of eco-friendly transport, I'm thrilled to be driving a vehicle that I believe represents the future of environmentally thoughtful transportation - not only does it have zero emissions, but I also have room for three passengers and luggage, plus all of the safety technology one would expect from Mercedes-Benz."  
Mr. Van Petten, Executive Director of the Producers Guild of America, is part of a select group of people who have had the opportunity to lease the F-CELL.
The F-CELL is based on the B-Class body, and is powered by an electric motor with 134 horsepower and 215 pound-foot of torque. Instead of the need to charge the vehicle for hours, the electricity is produced on board in a fuel cell stack, through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, with no combustion and an average fueling time of only three minutes. This is one of the many Mercedes-Benz initiatives that focus on the realization of e-mobility in the near future. For more information, click here.