Ardenne-Métropole has selected Nexans to install and maintain 149 public electric vehicle charging stations.
This decision reflects the aspiration of the elected officials to introduce an electric car-sharing fleet within the region’s 61 municipalities in addition to the current mass transit options available to the residents.
In the context of France’s energy transition legislation for green growth published in August 2015, Ardenne-Métropole was keen to roll out a sustainable mobility program based on car-sharing across its relatively sparsely populated area. The main aim is to reduce residents’ dependence on cars and the associated mobility costs.
In the past few years, new mobility services have been developed within urban areas as an alternative to existing mass transit options. In rural areas, the purpose of the program is to overcome the issues of a social nature and to reduce exclusion and isolation by encouraging mobility options for everyone. The Ardenne-Métropole region with its diverse topography will be equipped with groups of charging stations across its 61 municipalities. At the end of the first phase of the rollout, a fleet of electric vehicles operated by Clem’ platform should be available to the residents, making this the largest project of its kind in France in terms of the scope and variety of uses.
Committed since 2010 to developing specific solutions for the network and electric mobility, Nexans is a stakeholder in regional eco-development. With its innovative technology skills, expertise in economic models tested in the field, as well as access to a network of partners, the Group has been successfully helping its customers design and implement their ambitious projects across the globe. .
Annie Chéenne, Director Smart Grid & Electric Mobility for Nexans Power Accessories says, “We strongly believe in the potential of shared electric mobility and its capacity to make a positive disruptive contribution to extending mass transit services, especially in rural areas. Nexans is working systematically on developing electric mobility, factoring in the ecological, psychosocial and economic aspects. This approach has enabled us to design service models and solutions that are transposable and adaptable to each specific use case.”
The Nexans’ “electric mobility” business has been developed within the Nexans Power Accessories France subsidiary located in Donchery in the Ardennes region. This unit will handle the production of the 149 car-sharing stations. The solution will be remotely supervised by Clem’ for user services, vehicle reservations and charging invoicing, while also providing preventive, predictive, and curative maintenance (control of the charging stations’ performance, remote diagnosis, prediction, etc.). The stations will have a touch screen connected to the car-sharing platform and the vehicles will be available to the users upon making a reservation. Also, each group of charging stations will be fitted with a dynamic load management system to ensure the most efficient use of energy possible.
The service’s operation has been outsourced to Clem’, a startup specializing in sharing eco-mobility (ride-sharing, car-sharing and charging stations management). The project partners Nexans and Clem’ provide regional and local authorities with a model for innovative electric mobility that offers a solution to the challenges of the energy transition and their public service mission by encouraging mobility for all.
