Jan 17 2010
At the Brussels Motor Show, Peugeot signed two L.O.I (Lettre d’intention / Letter of Intent) agreements with Veolia and Greenwheels, two companies operating in Europe, concerning the purchase of electric vehicles and the development of mobility services.
A partnership has also been agreed to join the European EVA (Electric Vehicles for Advanced Cities) project, a consortium that currently brings together over 20 European cities, automobile manufacturers and electricity suppliers from many countries, as well as research institutes.
Peugeot, the leading French Marque for vehicle registrations worldwide in 2009, and a traditional electric vehicle player, chose Brussels, headquarters of the main European institutions, as the venue for the signature of these various agreements. To date, over 2,000 orders have already been taken for the Peugeot i0n, an electric vehicle that will be on sale in October 2010.
These agreements demonstrate Peugeot's desire to position itself as a major mobility services player and to take a significant share of the electric vehicle market, which the Marque estimates will represent 1.5% to 3% of the passenger vehicle market, including all types and all marques, in Europe by 2015, according to the various scenarios.
The agreements signed by Mr Gales, CEO of Automobiles Peugeot, are with high quality partners, including the Veolia group (France), the Greenwheels company (Netherlands) and the EVA project. By their very nature, these players operate on different markets, demonstrating the potential versatility of the electric vehicle's use and its adaptability to various user profiles. The L.O.I. with Veolia is for a strategic partnership concerning:
- the supply of the Peugeot i0n with a view to presenting an offer to the Autolib joint union,
- combined studies on optimising the charge of electric vehicles.
Mr Cyrille du Peloux, CEO of VEOLIA Transport, world leader in passenger transport and mobility services, signed the L.O.I. agreement and declared: "our collaboration with Peugeot strengthens our ability to produce an innovative, competitive offer for the great Autolib project. This project forms part of Veolia's development ambitions in the fields of electric vehicles and sustainable mobility solutions."
The agreement with Greenwheels, in connection with our commitment to the EVA project, capitalises on the historical relationship between Greenwheels and Peugeot, which in the past has already supplied over 1,000 vehicles to this company in the Netherlands.
The development of electrical mobility and the challenges involved in providing innovative mobility services have encouraged Greenwheels to rely on Peugeot's expertise and to acquire Peugeot i0n vehicles for its car-sharing activity, its core business. The agreement is for several hundred vehicles to be rolled out in the Netherlands (where the company has its head office) in the first stage, followed over time by Germany and the United Kingdom.
Mr Gijs Van Lookeren, Campaign manager for Greenwheels, a start-up specialising in the field of car-sharing, signed the L.O.I. agreement. He declares: "Today Peugeot and Greenwheels signed a L.O.I. that will give Greenwheels a guaranteed supply of electric vehicles, including the Peugeot i0n. Our two companies are also joining forces in the Electric Vehicles for Advanced Cities (EVA) consortium that currently links 23 European cities. The Greenwheels mobility system incorporates car sharing in a unique and consistent form, in connection with public transport facilities and networks, and we believe that the Peugeot i0n is a particularly suitable electric vehicle to become part of this mobility system…."
"With these various agreements and through the intensification of its BtoB clientele approach over the next few months, Peugeot is making a quick start on the emergent electric vehicle market. Peugeot is a global player in the mobility market with a complete product offer for passenger cars, LCVs, scooters, bicycles and a strong mobility service offer" confirmed Mr Gales.