INTEGRATING E-VEHICLES INTO MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE
12/15/2011 11:35 AM
As you know, hybrid and electric vehicles have a high potential to help meeting EU policy targets and enable individual mobility. The AIE’s General Secretary, Evelyne Schellekens attended a Showcase Event in Brussels on 22nd November 2011 organised by Orgalime (the European Engineering Industries Association) which illustrated and emphasized the important role of the electrical industry when “Integrating e-vehicles into modern infrastructure”. Beyond the showcase exhibition of technologies around the e-car, its charging and support infrastructure, the workshop debated practical lessons learnt from ongoing e-mobility projects and looked into the future.
During the showcase, Evelyne Schellekens addressed the issue of safety of electrical installations with several representatives and the importance to call upon professional electrical installers for the installation of the infrastructure and charging points which was unanimously confirmed. Actually this is yet included in the electrical industry’s position paper which states on page 7 & 8: ‘As present EU regulations for electrical installations in buildings have brought electric safety to a very high level they must not be undermined by the introduction of e-vehicles. Charging installations will need to be in conformity with best industry practices in order to ensure safety of life and property. Orgalime therefore recommends that installations should be carried out by professionals….
…Initiatives to provide and work out national codes of practice and guidance for the installation of e-vehicle charging points by electrical installers should be supported to ensure the safety of e-vehicles charging installations which are part of the electrical infrastructure in homes and buildings’.
> Read Orgalime’s full position paper: http://www.orgalime.org/Pdf/PP_Integrating_e-vehicles_into_modern_%20infrastructures_Nov11.pdf
