Rolling Out E-Mobility in the MRA-Electric Region

20,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2015 and 200,000 EVs by 2020 … . This was regarded as an ambitious goal when it was declared in 2011, and yet the growth in the use of EVs in the Netherlands has seen rapid advancements. With more than 47,000 EVs on Dutch roads already in March 2015 the Netherlands is well on its way. Concerted efforts and initiatives were required to achieve this, among others, by the city of Amsterdam, which has been a frontrunner since 2009. Because e-mobility does not end at Amsterdam’s city limits, the project MRA-Electric (Amsterdam Metropolitan Area Electric, MRA-E) was initiated by the local authorities in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA) to stimulate, advise and assist in rolling out e-mobility in the region around Amsterdam. Essential to advancing e-mobility, and the use of e-cars, in particular, is a robust charging infrastructure, preferably powered by sustainable energy because the arguments for the environmental benefits of e-mobility rest largely on the source of the energy used to charge the batteries (http://​www.​rvo.​nl/​onderwerpen/​duurzaam-ondernemen/​energie-en-milieuinnovaties​/​elektrisch-rijden/​stand-van-zaken/​milieuvoordeel). Since 2009 the MRA-E region has seen the rollout of 1000 public charging points. This achievement was brought about by ratifying favourable policies at national, provincial and city levels; providing the right financial incentives; ensuring that grid operators and energy distributors are fully on-board; and obtaining a commitment from other market parties, such as lease companies, to co-finance the charging poles. Issuing calls for tenders by the province of Noord-Holland that contain unambiguous provisions has also proven highly successful in the MRA-E region. Because they are still more expensive to purchase than their petrol or diesel burning counterparts, encouraging the purchase and use of EVs also has to be stimulated with fiscal incentives. In the Netherlands, this happens at national and city levels in the form of subsidies or tax breaks, a substantial portion of which is made available to taxi and delivery vehicles (RVO.nl; http://​www.​rvo.​nl/​onderwerpen/​duurzaam-ondernemen/​energie-en-milieu-innovaties/​elektrisch-rijden/​aan-de-slag/​financiele-ondersteuning?​gclid=​COr_​-JKTs78CFUTItAod9​0kAbw). Cities are also leading by example: many cities in the Netherlands have already added EVs to their municipal fleets and some have incorporated hybrid and full electric buses into public transportation as well as installed public charging points at public buildings. An electric car-sharing scheme introduced by Amsterdam in 2011 has proven popular and is invaluable in raising the profile of e-mobility. With more and more e-cars on the roads, it was clear that electric driving was becoming a real alternative. This chapter provides an overview of the significant growth of e-mobility in the MRA-E region before examining in more depth a fundamental aspect that underpins this achievement, namely the rolling out of a charging infrastructure.