The City of Katowice became a beneficiary of an Electric Vehicles in Urban Europe (EVUE) programme which focuses on the development of integrated, sustainable strategies and dynamic leadership techniques for cities to promote the use of electric vehicles. EVUE is an URBACT Thematic Network of ten cities, led by Westminster City Council in London.
URBACT helps cites to develop pragmatic solutions that are new and sustainable, and that integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions. It enables cities to share good practices and lessons learned with all professionals involved in urban policy throughout Europe.
The initiative was also created to make cities more attractive and competitive.
According to the programme, in 2010, 24 charging points will be installed and the City of Katowice will receive 4 electric vehicles for testing new technology. These new vehicles will be tested by the City Hall for 12 months.
The City expects to learn how other European cities promote and develop new technologies.
- Challenges
– Price of electric vehicles
– Demonstration of the benefits of electric vehicles
– To minimize air pollution from the use of traditional vehicles
- Expectations
– Would like to promote the use of electric vehicles and the use of renewable energy sources.
– Expect to learn from transnational partners how similar problems are solved; how other European cities promote and develop new technologies.
- Infrastructure
– There are 2 charging stations in Katowice. They are publicly accessible in front of the municipal buildings.
– It is planned to put in 24 more on-street charging points in 2010.
– The City is facilitating the installation of charging points by making places available for them to be located.
- Vehicles
– There are currently 9 electric vehicles in the City of Katowice. There is a target to have 4 municipal fleet electric vehicles by 2010.
- Katowice’s URBACT Local Support Group (LSG) will be made up of representatives of:
– the City of Katowice
– Municipal Company of Public Transport
– Silesian University of Technology
– Techno-Science Park
– Managing Authority (the Marshal Office of the Silesian Voivodeship)
– Green Stream Cluster
The LSG will help to identify what the City can offer to the EVUE project in the form of good practice; help disseminate findings of the project to a wider local audience and ensure that end-users have a voice in the decision-making process; act as project champions to help mobilize the political and institutional support required to ensure that the Local Action Plan leads to real change.
- Priorities for the Local Action Plan have been identified as:
– To diversify energy production methods and sources
– Support and implement innovative solutions in the electric vehicles market in Katowice
– Increase the use of electric vehicles in the City
The EVUE project developed from the growing realization of the challenges facing urban areas when encouraging and supporting the adoption of electric vehicles (including plug-in hybrids). The EVUE partnership brings together 10 cities across Europe reflecting a wide range of urban situations with differing populations, transport networks, geographical, political and soci-cultural structures.
The EVUE partner cities are: Westminster City Council (UK, lead partner), Lisbon and Beja (Portugal), Madrid (Spain), Frankfurt (Germany), Oslo (Norway), Sztokholm (Sweden), Suceava (Romania), Zografou (Greece) and Katowice.
Costs of Katowice participation is estimated at EUR 36 111, almost EUR 29 000 will be covered by the European Union.
source: urbact.eu