[NEWS] Kranj: e-mobility in full swing (pg 2)

(please read the first part of the article here)

Vehicle replacement in three phases

The project will be implemented in three phases. The first one ended December 28th, when MoK took over 12 ecological vehicles (eight for the needs of the municipal administration and the inspectorate, three vehicles for Komunalo Kranj and one vehicle for the Kranj Retirement Home) and also set up two public charging stations (in the Huje parking lot).

The second phase of vehicle replacement envisages the takeover of up to 55 vehicles (four for the municipal administration, one for Kranj’s kindergartens, the rest for Komunalo Kranj). The final number of vehicles replaced will depend on the optimization of fleets, which means that it will be possible to carry out as many transports as there have been by now, with a smaller number of vehicles. This will also save money. In addition to optimization, the e-mobility project also envisages the establishment of conditions for upgrading to a company car sharing system. When changing vehicles, charging stations will be installed and solar power plants will be installed on the roofs of the buildings, while there will be a battery for storing electricity in the municipal building. All this will be completed by the end of 2021.

The third phase includes 63 vehicles, but the replacement is not binding. Namely, in the third phase are mainly vehicles which exchange with electric vehicles is currently not economically justified, as the offer on the market is currently unfavorable or the vehicles are more expensive. These are larger freight vehicles and vehicles for transporting up to eight people. The value of the entire project will amount to 5.1 million Euros (excluding VAT), taking into account that the first and second phase vehicles will be replaced, public charging stations, solar power plants and a battery system will be installed.

An innovative approach to sustainability

In the past, individual municipalities have already carried out activities in the field of electric mobility, but not in the way that the MoK will carry out. “The business model of this project provides the Municipality of Kranj and other users with a complete e-mobility service. Our team takes care of everything - for the purchase and maintenance of electric vehicles and domicile charging stations and for the installation and use of public charging stations, solar power plants and battery storage tanks, while guaranteeing the required quality of service and achieving agreed cost and environmental effects.” said Blaženka Prepar, director of Visions of Mobility, when handing over the car keys.

In order to monitor the achieved effects, they will also establish all the necessary communication and information infrastructure, which will be in line with the requirements set in the Digital Development Strategy of the Smart City and Community Kranj 2020–2023, and thus also intended for users.

Positive effects

Blaženka Perpar also emphasized that the Municipality of Kranj follows all adopted strategic documents with the electric mobility project. By replacing vehicles with electric ones, around 145,000 kilometers will be covered in the first year without producing noise and 34 megawatt hours of energy will be saved. This, approximately, corresponds to the year-round electricity consumption of a small primary school building. When the project will be entirety implemented it will save at least 452 megawatt hours of energy, which is slightly more than the annual electricity consumption in the Kranj City Library. This will also save 150 tons of CO2, which is as much as it is absorbed by about 7,700 trees or 17.4 hectares of forest.

MoK is also preparing a separate project for the installation of electric charging stations for buses, which will also enable fast charging of personal vehicles. The needs in this area are likely to increase in the coming years. "Good electrical infrastructure is also a condition, and at the same time an incentive for citizens to buy greener vehicles," said the mayor of MoK.