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City of Hamburg increasing share of electric transport
The City of Hamburg announced plans to increase electric transport by 2024, and has partnered up with Hamburger Hochbahn public transport company and car-sharing companies Share Now, Miles, Sixt and WeShare.
According to the 5 October press release, the car-sharing companies in question are to up the share of electric vehicles in fleets to 80% or more by the start of 2024, while the city and Hamburger Hochbahn are to expand parking facilities and charging infrastructure.
Anjes Tjarks, Hamburg’s Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition, stressed the importance of moving towards environmentally friendly and sustainable transport. He pointed out that rail and bus transport in Hamburg should switch to emission-free solutions by 2030. Tjarks noted that the 80-percent quota is an ambitious goal and concluded that Hamburg is determined to reach it in cooperation with partners.
Hamburger Hochbahn CEO Henrik Falk noted that the company is expanding charging infrastructure to help car-sharing companies move towards electric vehicles. He stressed that plans include construction of more than 200 charging points by the end of 2023 and concluded that use of charging stations will be free of charge for electric vehicles.
Hamburg’s car-sharing partners commended the city for acknowledging the importance of measures to support the transition towards green and sustainable transport. According to plans, Hamburg is to expand its network of charging stations to 600 by the start of 2024. If the city cannot achieve this target, it plans to lower the required share of electric vehicles in fleets of car-sharing companies.
In addition, the city plans to up the maximum parking time from two to three hours to accommodate the charging of electric vehicles at charging points. Parking at charging points will only be allowed to charge electric vehicles and a simplified procedure will be adopted for car-sharing vehicles that were parked illegally and towed away.
The car-sharing companies in question welcomed the plan and pledged to continue moving towards zero-emission fleets after 2024, noting that partners will meet biannually to discuss progress and any issues that may crop up.
(Photo credit: Karsten Bergmann / Pixabay)
