"Rīgas satiksme" starts running five new electromobiles
Today Riga mayor Nils Ušakovs got familiar with the new electromobiles and even testdrived one of them.
This is an experiment and the electromobiles will be used all the year round, also in winter, which is the most complicated season for electromobiles. "Rīgas satiksme" will evaluate the results of the first five electromobiles and then will decide on buying more electric cars.
The electromobiles are manufactured by "Valmet Automotive" (Finland). Their maximum speed is 112 km/h. The vehicle has front drive, two seats and 800 liter luggage compartment. The car is charged from the ordinary electric power network (220 V), and it takes from six to eight hours for an electromobile to be fully "refilled". It can run 160 km, when fully charged. The electromobiles are certified and meet all the EU standards.
The price of an electromobile is EUR 35 000 without VAT, but "Rīgas satiksme" has taken them on lease for LVL 480 per month, which is about LVL 80 less than the monthly costs of maintaining a car with diesel motor. The contract with the manufacturer provides that the electromobiles will be leased for five years. The guarantee period is two years or 150, 000 km.
The introduction of electromobiles and the development of their refilling infrastructure are provided for by the city’s sustainable energy activity plan for 2010-2020, which was approved by Riga City Council two years ago. Riga municipality is working purposefully on implementing the plan, and the first five electromobiles are considered as the first step towards a wider use of electric cars in municipal technical services in the future.
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