Today the companies of EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG and Daimler AG are launching their joint initiative, "e-mobility Baden-Württemberg“. Its goal is to make the German state of Baden-Württemberg, the birthplace of the automobile, a model region for locally emission-free electric mobility within the next two years. By introducing this initiative Daimler and EnBW are staying true to their home base: "e-mobility Baden-Württemberg“ will help sustainably strengthen the region and its success. The starting point for the initiative will be the state capital of Stuttgart, with an additional regional emphasis in Karlsruhe.

By forming this strategic partnership Daimler and EnBW are setting new standards. EnBW serves as a key player with its in-depth expertise in energy logistics for the development of intelligent and customer-friendly battery-charging models and its experience with network management and regulation, and as such it can supply a variety of energy sources – an intelligent electricity and hydrogen infrastructure is being planned. In order to complement e-mobility projects which are already in place, the new initiative is consciously geared towards variety. As part of "e-mobility Baden-Württemberg" Daimler will use around 200 smart car and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, equipped with either battery-electric or fuel cell drive depending on the model. In the medium term Daimler plans to employ its entire range of emission-free electric vehicles in the strategic partnership: from the smart fortwo electric drive and B-Class F-CELL to the A-Class E-CELL.

With the first-ever series-production electric delivery vehicle, the Vito E-CELL and the Citaro FuelCELL hybrid bus, the inventor of the automobile is proving that electric mobility is viable in all key mobility areas – in
private transport as well as for delivery vehicles and public transport. EnBW expects to install 700 charging points and two to three hydrogen tanks in Baden-Württemberg by the end of 2011. EnBW supplies its public charging stations with 100% hydroelectricity.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars: "All the electric cars being used have two things in common: they are completely suitable for everyday use and run with zero emissions. That shows that, from a technological standpoint, electric driving is already feasible today. Now we need to make electric cars affordable for our customers and to tackle the development of infrastructure – and that can only work with close collaboration between politicians and companies. The whole package needs to be in place – only then does electric mobility stand a chance.“

Hans-Peter Villis, Chairman of the Board of Management at EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG: "Today fuel cells and battery electric vehicles are already marking the
transition from fossil-based fuels to drive systems powered by renewable energy. Electric mobility is a sensible combination of climate protection and mobility. A successful leap from technological feasibility to market acceptance can however only be achieved if the range of electric vehicles goes hand in hand with an expansion in the charging infrastructure. In combination with this type of intelligently networked charging infrastructure, electric cars can also develop beyond their function as mobility providers into mobile electrical storage units."

Individual mobility is the foundation for a society’s growth and prosperity, which is why electric mobility will also have a future impact on the economic development of a region. "In order to strengthen Baden-Württemberg as a location for the automobile industry in the long term, now is the time to more strongly consolidate existing activities in the development and application of new drive systems and intensify their progress. That is the only way to sustainably secure value added and jobs in the state", emphasised Stefan Mappus, premier of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

He enthusiastically welcomes the "e-mobility Baden-Württemberg“ joint initiative from Daimler and EnBW as clear recognition from the business world of the importance of electric mobility and as an outstanding complement to the state’s own electric mobility initiative, which was launched at the end of 2009. "The state government wants to further the development of alternative drive concepts and will invest a total of 28.5 million euros from 2010 to 2014 in corresponding structure and project measures in a targeted manner. With the joint initiative from Daimler and EnBW we have increased our chances of setting new standards among our global competition.“

In order to achieve broad acceptance from customers and encourage a rapid spread of electric mobility with batteries or fuel cells, the products must be practical for everyday use with no restrictions. Also important is a high-capacity infrastructure of electric charging stations and hydrogen filling stations which should cover the entire country if possible. Daimler and EnBW have been active for many years, sometimes in cooperation with each other, in a very diverse range of projects to promote electric mobility. Because of their comprehensive experience in each of their respective areas the two companies are the ideal complements to each other. Their collective experiences and competencies will now be bundled in their "e-mobility Baden-Württemberg" joint initiative which will help make their state into a pioneer in electric mobility with fuel cells and battery power.

The many activities involved in the strategic partnership are reflected along the entire value creation chain. In order to develop economically viable and standardised solutions, all relevant parties must be integrated in the process: the automotive industry and its suppliers, utility companies, scientists, researchers and politicians.

As part of the "e-mobility Baden-Württemberg“ initiative Daimler and EnBW will work together to develop further innovative solutions for energy logistics and charging management of battery-operated electric cars. The focus here is on a new type of bidirectional charging system: it not only allows for recharging of battery electric vehicles at charging stations but also enables regenerating electric energy to the charging station from vehicles. Flexible management of supply and demand can allow for optimised capacity utilisation of the electricity grid - all with the lowest possible CO2 emissions. A pilot project at the beginning of 2011 to develop and test the first business models for bidirectional charging is under consideration.

To promote electric mobility beyond German borders, Daimler and EnBW are working together in cooperation with other industry partners on planning the first German-French test fleet for electric mobility.

Daimler will supply 25 smart fortwo electric drive cars to the fleet. EnBW will ensure that the required infrastructure is in place. An important milestone on
this path to cross-border electric mobility has already been marked by the charging plug which was jointly developed by German car manufacturers, suppliers and utilities companies and which is slated to become standard throughout Europe. Now the partners are working together on standardising the communication interface between the vehicles and the charging infrastructure. To achieve this, the existing communication protocol is being jointly developed further and in addition it is being provided free of charge on the Internet to third parties – in line with an open source philosophy – so that they can design their own products. Cross-border standardisation is a crucial requirement for establishing electric mobility which functions smoothly, is cost-efficient and is customer-friendly, which in turn ultimately leads to broad acceptance among customers.