Every year, up to 60,000 commercially used cars and up to 8,000 vans are newly registered in Vienna. However, only just under 2 percent of these are electrically powered vehicles. After years of preparation in Vienna, the general conditions would now be very favourable, emphasises Michael Ornetzeder, energy expert at the Institute of Technology Assessment (ITA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences: "There are subsidies, the costs are competitive and the number of charging stations is growing steadily". But, Ornetzeder adds, change is slow, due to the complexity of this conversion

"They are not only exchanging vehicles here, we are talking about a whole system that is currently under development: It needs manufacturers who supply vehicles and spare parts, mechanics who specialise in e-cars, the charging infrastructure has to be right - we already have all these things in Vienna, and they can be further developed". The regulatory environment also plays a role: easier access or free parking would be an incentive.

Good communication is key

The switch to electrically powered vehicles must also be well communicated within the company. "We see that company operators often lack the information to say: ‘This new solution actually pays off financially for my company, and it is also beneficial to the environment’”, says Ornetzeder.

For the study, which was funded by the City of Vienna, three companies that have been using electric vehicles for a long time were interviewed: The Austrian Post, OEAMTC and TUV Austria. Co-author Anna Pavlicek (ITA) emphasizes: "A recurring theme with e-cars is their range. For a company like the Austrian Post AG, which is able to plan routes relatively precisely in advance, there is no longer any risk of covering distances with e-cars. OEAMTC and TUV are naturally interested in testing the functionality and reliability of e-cars themselves, because they perform repairs (OEAMTC) and implement new rules and regulations (TUV).

Women more likely switch

Another interesting result is that the switch to e-cars in companies often depends on the commitment of individuals. Study co-author Steffen Bettin sees different motives for this. "For some, the environmental aspect is in the foreground, others prefer the driving comfort of e-cars or see an added value for the company's image in this respect.” Furthermore, the interviews in Viennese companies showed that the topic of gender seems to play a special role. "Here there is a group of interlinked women who are the driving force. An exciting topic that deserves further investigation in the future." (DR)

Photo: In Vienna, a basic charging network for electric cars is being set up in public spaces. By 2020, 1,000 charging points should be available. Fuelling will be done with 100 percent green electricity.