The ECN Smart Electric Vehicle participated in the Cleaner Vehicle Tour 2009 which was held in Amsterdam as part of the European Mobility Week. The smart vehicle is equipped with PowerMatcher functionality enabling the car to participate in a smart electricity grid or a virtual power plant. The electricity grid may be overloaded if an increasing number of consumers charge their vehicles at the same time. ECN examines how to avoid such a peak load in the electricity grid by using ECN’s PowerMatcher technology.

The Cleaner Vehicle Tour was held for the third time on Sunday the 20th of September in Amsterdam. The assembly point was the Food Centre. The morning started with a panel discussion, including the city’s Alderwoman of Environmental Issues Marijke Vos, Dutch former prime-minister Ruud Lubbers and Essent New Energy CEO Alexandra van Huffelen. After the discussion, a charging point at the Food Centre in Amsterdam was officially taken into use.

The tour itself was opened by Major Job Cohen. About 50 clean cars (electric, bio-fuel, hydrogen) and a high number of clean scooters and bicycles drove in convoy through the city of Amsterdam. Around noon, the companion stopped at the Dam Square in the city center. The final destination was the Albert Cuijp Market, where an Electric Avenue took place. The Cleaner Vehicle Tour was part of the eighth edition of European Mobility Week held from 16 to 22 September 2009. In hundreds of European towns and cities, citizens were invited to a wide range of activities promoting sustainable mobility. The 2009 campaign theme – “Improving City Climates” – underlines the importance of local level efforts to tackle climate change and improve quality of life through the promotion of alternative transport modes to the car such as cycling, walking, and public transport as well as clever car use schemes such car-sharing and car-pooling.