Sustainable mobility has been given a boost in France by the results of the country's biggest ever trial of all-electric vehicles. Supported by Renault-Nissan, the SAVE (Seine Aval Véhicules Électriques) initiative was conducted in the Yvelines region near Paris between March 2011 and December 2012, and resulted in the installation of 130 charging stations and 45.5 tonnes of CO2 avoided.
Devised as a test case for the future of EVs in France, SAVE involved 51 towns and five inter-municipal bodies and was backed by public and private entities, including Renault-Nissan. On the 8th of July, the partners met at Renault's production site in Flins to review the project and set an agenda for the future.
During the trial, 150 drivers tested electric mobility at the wheel of one of the 65 Renault-Nissan vehicles involved in the initiative (20 Renault Fluences Z.E., 35 Renault Kangoos Z.E. and ten Nissan Leafs). At the same time, 40 companies, municipalities or consumers acquired charging stations and electric vehicles. The trial area now boasts the greatest number and variety of charging stations in France, with residents never further than 15km (9 miles) from the nearest public charging point.
On average, each EV was driven 25km (16 miles) per day, with 15% of customers driving more than 60km (37 miles) daily. Surveys found that drivers were particularly pleased with the vehicles' smooth acceleration and onboard silence. During the project, Renault also provided 46 eco-driving training courses, which helped drivers increase vehicle range by an average of 25%.
The objective now is to use this information, along with technical and economic data from the project, to develop an electric mobility industry that meets both customer needs and expectations.