Plug In SaarLorLux

The one and only GOAL of  Plug In SaarLorLux ! :

CHANGE the SaarLorLux region into a model region for ELECTROMOBILITY

ID EST : getting a widespread fleet of min. 50 BEAs (Battery Electric Autos) of all kinds (with small 2-seaters as well as 5-seater Sedans, SUVs, Vans, transporters, sport cars etc.) on the roads in SaarLorLux until end of summer 2010 at latest

50 BEAs is a small number considering the number of border-crossing commuters in SaarLorLux :

BACKGROUND of  Plug In SaarLorLux ! :

In november 2008, one day after the Technologiesymposium in Saarbrücken at 26th november, Peter Müller, Minister-President of the Saarland, announced on saarland online, that the Saarland would be an ideal model region for electromobility due to the "areal openness" (german : "räumliche Überschaubarkeit") in Saarland :

ROLE MODELS and PARTNERS of   Plug In SaarLorLux ! :

CHRONICLE of   Plug In SaarLorLux !  june 2009 - march 2010 :

Overview :

7th October 2008 : meeting of representatives from Better Place and Automotive Saarland at the KFZ-Verband Saar in Saarbrücken, at the EAA Europe's invitation.

Summer 2009 : unfortunately, the Saarland had not become a model region for electromobility. Reportedly not even the application had been sent to Berlin resp. Brussels - veeery sad, tooo bad and absolutely not acceptable in the eyes of the EAA Europe !!!

30th june 2009 : EAA Europe chairman Rüdiger Hild from Neunkirchen/Saarland presents the first Plug In SaarLorLux concept draft to Joachim Rippel, Saarland's Minister of Economy and Science and President of the ZPT Saar e.V. at that time.

... and from the home of the Electric Auto Association - California :

Dan Neil, very prominent columnist of the popular Californian newspaper "Los Angeles Times" and winner of the "Pullitzer Price for Criticism" in 2004 for his "one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, blending technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural observations" wrote about Plug In America :

"Plug In America has been the clearest and loudest voice demanding electric vehicle technology, and the most effective grassroots advocacy organization for Electric Vehicles."

For Plug In SaarLorLux and the EAA Europe, Plug In America has not only been name giver but first of all our most experienced 'guide by example', a.o. because of their permanent support of the Calfornia ZEVM and their legendary Don't Crush campaign, which saved hundreds of Toyota RAV4 EVs from the crusher.

Watch this video from California to find out where the motto NO PLUG - NO DEAL comes from.

June 2009 :

start of the Plug In SaarLorLux campaign in Homburg/Saar on 24th june 2010, on the occasion of a public presentation of a Peugeot 106 Electric of Green Car City from Obrigheim/Pfalz, organized by the EAA Europe in cooperation with the gwSaar and the Wirtschaftsförderung Homburg/Saar

30th june 2009 : EAA Europe chairman Rüdiger Hild from Neunkirchen/Saarland hands over the first Plug In SaarLorLux concept draft to Joachim Rippel, Saarland's Minister of Economy and Science and President of the ZPT Saar e.V. at that time

Juli 2009 :

first contact with the Plug In SaarLorLux role models ese, ISOR, KWO and VLOTTE

discussion about the role models and possible partners of Plug In SaarLorLux with Armin Gehl, director of Automotive Saarland

August 2009 :

first presentation of the Plug In SaarLorLux campaign to the KEW, a regional energy provider in Saarland

30th august : state elections in Saarland --> change of government

September 2009 :

first meeting after the handover of the Plug In SaarLorLux concept draft (30th June 2009) with Joachim Rippel and Roland Rolles, CEO of the ZPT Saar e.V., at the Saarland Ministry of Economy and Science, attended by BEA-dealer Joachim Stüber, owner of Green Car City from Obrigheim/Pfalz : agreement about an expert meeting to be organized by ZPT Saar to find partners in SaarLorLux who could be able to form a company organized like the direct role model and possible partner VLOTTE from Vorarlberg/Austria, to be followed by a BEA-presentation in Saarland

October 2009 :

interview with Rüdiger Hild, chairman EAA Europe, about Plug In SaarLorLux and the EAA Europe for the BUND Saar, published in issue 4/2009 of the Umweltmagazin, the BUND Saar newspaper

November 2009 :

visit of the 1st worldwide eCars-Now!-meeting in Helsinki/Finland on the occasion of the Helsinki Electric Motor Show 2009

entry on office of Christoph Hartmann as the new Saarland Minister of Economy and Science and President of the ZPT Saar e.V., as successor of Joachim Rippel

December 2009 :

2nd meeting with Roland Rolles, CEO ZPT Saar e.V., in Saarbrücken, attended by representatives of the Umweltcampus Birkenfeld, to finally discuss agenda and date (--> 28th january 2010) of the expert meeting agreed in september 2009 (s. above)

January 2010 :

article about the Plug In SaarLorLux role model VLOTTE from Vorarlberg/Austria published in issue 1/2010 of the popular german magazine auto motor und sport

28th january : presentation of the current status of the Plug In SaarLorLux campaign at the announced expert meeting organized by the ZPT Saar e.V. and Automotive Saarland at the Atrium in Saarbrücken, with about thirty BEA-builders, -drivers and -dealers, scientists, battery-experts and -producers, politicians, energy suppliers etc., coming from SaarLorLux, allover Germany and even from India

Here the presentations of the 5 speakers at the meeting (in german) :

1  Presentation_B.Valeske_Fraunhofer_IZFP_28_Jan_2010.pdf

2  Presentation_F.Mücklich_Universität_Saarbrücken_28_Jan_2010.pdf

3  Presentation_R.Hild_EAA_Europe_28_Jan_2010.pdf

4  Presentation_P.Marx_Umweltcampus_Birkenfeld_28_Jan_2010.pdf

5  Presentation_H.-W.Praas_ese_28_Jan_2010.pdf

after the meeting, fascinating test rides with the BEA-tricks C25-1 (a converted 2002 electric Smart Cabrio) in Saarbrücken were kindly offered by BEA-builder BEA-tricks from the Ruhrgebiet/Germany, perfectly complemented by a presentation of solar powered BEA-charging stations by TankSolar from Bavaria/Germany

February 2010 :

first contact with the new Saarland Ministry of Environment, Energy & Transportation

meeting with Dieter Conzelmann of the gwSaar (the gwSaar is a member company of the ZPT Saar e.V.) to plan a common visit of the direct Plug In SaarLorLux role model VLOTTE in Vorarlberg/Austria and to discuss the possibilities to form companies like the VEA and ese in SaarLorLux

Plug In SaarLorLux webpage published on 22nd february 2010

March 2010 :

1st march : 1st meeting with Simone Peter, the Saarland Minister of Environment, Energy and Transportation, on the occasion of a meeting of several environmental organizations from Saarland at the Haus der Umwelt in Saarbrücken. Very nice for Plug In SaarLorLux : Simone Peter confirmed the intention to finally change the Saarland into a model region for ELECTROMOBILITY as soon as possible. Hand over of WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR ?, the latest issue of the Current EVents and Bitte wenden Sie jetzt ! to Simone Peter. Further cooperation agreed.

2nd march : 1st meeting with representatives of Klimawelt in Munsbach/Luxembourg. Further cooperation with the EAA Europe agreed.

7th / 8th march : visit of VLOTTE together with representatives of the BUND Saar, e-Transportation, the gwSaar and Klimawelt. Our very friendly and helpful hosts from Kairos (VLOTTE-planners), the VKW (VLOTTE-directors) and the Autohaus Rohrer (EV-builders of VLOTTE) kindly provided us with lots of helpful information about the startup of electromobility projects like VLOTTE, which certainly can help SaarLorLux to become a model region for electromobility soon, too. The highlights of our visit were fascinating testrides with VLOTTE's TH!NK City- and FIAT 500-EVs.

NEXT STEPS on the way to our goal, i.e. a widespread fleet of min. 50 BEAs on the roads in SaarLorLux until end of summer 2010 :

public presentation of available BEAs (e.g. from ACP, eCars-Now!, e-Transportation, Green Car City, VLOTTE) at the Educational Center (german : Ausbildungszentrum) of the KFZ-Verband Saar in Saarbrücken (as agreed during the expert meeting of the ZPT Saar e.V. on 28th january 2010, s. above) as soon as possible

forming of a company like the VEA (VLOTTE) in SaarLorLux as soon as possible

forming of a battery renting company like ese in SaarLorLux as soon as possible

last updated 13th of may 2010 by Rüdiger Hild, EAA Europe

The pictures show EAA Europe founder Ruediger Hild in may 2008, "Pluggin' In" a very prominent Californian Toyota "RAV4 EV" at a public charging station on a parking lot of Hewlett Packard (HP) in Silicon Valley/California, and they also show, where the ambiguous motto "DON'T MESS with EUROPE !" comes from - to find out more please visit the "EAA meets Europa 2008" page.