The auto-manufacturing giant Renault has signed a new agreement with the energy supplier Eneco that will see a new smart-charging smartphone app developed for use with the ZOE electric vehicle, according to recent reports.
The new agreement was signed at the COP21 climate change talks in Paris on December 7th. ZOE owners/lessees will be given the ability to easily charge their electric vehicles (EVs) at lower pricing levels than are otherwise available in the Netherlands.
The new smartphone app for use with the Renault ZOE will reportedly be developed by the Eneco subsidiary Jedlix. It will encourage owners/lessees to recharge mostly at night when wind energy production is at its height.
One of the members of the Executive Board of Eneco, Marc van der Linden, commented: “It is expected that there will be 3 million electric vehicles in the whole of Europe by 2020. To reduce CO2 emissions, it is essential that this vehicle fleet will use green power. It is also important to prevent power grid overloads as a result of peaks in demand if all the cars would be charged at the same time. Our app forms a direct link between the electric vehicle and the supply of sustainably generated energy. Consequently, the energy used for charging is more sustainable, energy supply and demand is balanced and the costs of driving an electric vehicle are reduced because users charge their cars at lower rates.”
The Electric Vehicle Program Director at Renault, Eric Feunteun, commented as well: “Renault electric cars support the energy transition in the automotive industry as they contribute to the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energies. With smart charging systems like the one developed by Eneco, Renault electric vehicles make a big contribution to power systems’ stability and reliability: EVs turn into an asset for the grid rather than create overload. They can store and use electricity when it is less carbon-dependent and cheapest for their owners. Our partnership with Eneco is a move towards making driving a Renault ZOE more interesting and affordable and will contribute to an electric vehicles’ scale up.”
Pilot program work done previously by Eneco in the Netherlands found that, on average, app users can cut recharging costs by up to 15%.