Siemens helps to put London at the forefront of electromobility

The trail-blazing project Source London was officially launched on Thursday by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. The project of the local public transport operator Transport for London will provide a network of publicly accessible charging points for electric vehicles across the city. Siemens delivered the IT backbone for the project as well as the software for the operation center, which will manage the charging points. The number of charging points is targeted to rise to approximately 1,300 by 2013. "The Source London project is pioneering and another example of technological innovation for Siemens in its mobility solutions. We expect the scheme to be a model for other European e-vehicle schemes which will be rolled out in coming years. I am sure electric vehicles will quickly gain broad acceptance in London due to the favorable environment," said Ralph Griewing, head of electric vehicle infrastructure within Siemens' Energy Sector.

Siemens technology underpins Source London, providing the underlying IT systems infrastructure and services, the portal and customer interface. Through Siemens technology, users can access any charge point in the system, anywhere in the city via a single card. The charging posts are linked to the Siemens-run Source London operation center. Siemens provides the infrastructure for customer interaction via a secure web portal, where drivers can join the Source London program and receive their access smart card. The Siemens portal allows drivers to register and manage their account as well as locate charger stations. In addition, Siemens operates a secure payment system ensuring members get fast and easy access to the charging infrastructure and a simple way to pay using secure payment technology. The Siemens-run UK-based call center provides 24/7 customer services for technical issues, guaranteeing that members get assistance round the clock.

About 150 charging stations have already been installed for Source London. Future developments will see the installation of Siemens charging equipment. Siemens will install its public electric car charging equipment at its new urban sustainability center in the Green Enterprise Zone linked to the Source London scheme. The center will demonstrate the real life future for sustainable urban living and will open in 2012 in time for the London Olympics.

The Source London scheme will apply to any vehicle that is licensed with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) as a pure electric or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, including motorbikes, cars, vans, trucks and scooters. Customers can use one access card across the whole city and charge their vehicle for an annual flat rate of GBP100. Electric vehicles are exempt from London's congestion charge and UK's vehicle excise duty. There is also a GBP5000 incentive grant for buying an electric car. The scheme, the largest of the government funded electric car projects in the UK, is key to delivering the mayor's vision to make London "the epicenter of electric driving in Europe". It has been developed from the Government's Plugged-In Places initiative, which provides up to 50 percent match funding from the Department for Transport for the installation of publicly-accessible electric vehicle charge points for partners in the consortium. Siemens has been working with Transport for London for a number of years on e-vehicle projects and brings expertise in transportation, traffic management and energy systems as well as the experience gained through involvement in electric vehicle infrastructures worldwide.

Andreas J. Goss, chief executive of Siemens plc and North West Europe cluster, said: "Source London sets the standard for electric vehicle projects, in its ambition, scale and technology. The scheme has the potential to radically change the transport landscape for the capital. It is one of many such projects that Siemens is involved in and another example of our commitment to the Mayor's vision for London as a truly sustainable city."

Electric mobility is part of Siemens' Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2010, revenue from the Portfolio totaled about EUR28 billion, making Siemens the world's largest supplier of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, our products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 270 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of the megacities Hong Kong, London, New York, Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore.

About the Siemens Energy Sector

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world's leading supplier of a complete spectrum of products, services and solutions for the generation, transmission and distribution of power and for the extraction, conversion and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2010 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of approximately EUR25.5 billion and received new orders totaling more than EUR30.1 billion and posted a profit of more than EUR3.3 billion. On September 30, 2010, the Energy Sector had a work force of more than 88,000.