It’s happening: the last test phase of EVoltify to load electric cars on Campus Groningen mobile, has started on Monday 31 May at 09:00 hour on the Zernike Campus. This morning, the official start took place of a fieldtest of EVoltify and CommShare, that will last fort wo weeks. The project with EVoltify to fasten the development of their mobile charging station on Campus Groningen has been created within the program Start-up in Residence (SiR), together with Bedrijvenvereniging WEST (business association). Besides an electric car of CommShare, also electric cars of campus residents are involved in this test phase.
Stephan van der Veer, operational manager of CommShare: “With the fieldtest on Campus Groningen, a great win-win situation has been created by two startups to make mobility on the campus more sustainable. For the companies on the campus, Bedrijvenvereniging WEST and Start-Up City it is a wonderful way to get acquainted with the electric cars of CommShare in a low threshold manner and without long commitments.”
"For the companies on the campus, Bedrijvenvereniging WEST and Start-Up City the fieldtest is a wonderful way to get acquainted with the electric cars of CommShare in a low threshold manner and without long commitments.”
Fieldtest
During the fieldtest, EVoltify charges electric cars on several locations on the campus. Part of this fieldtest will certainly be an electric car at EnTranCe (BuildinG), Lode Holding and Start-up City. At Start-up City a shared car of CommShare will be stationed fort the inhabitants of Start-up City, to get ‘a taste’ of the shared car concept, that has been developed last year, especially for the campus community. Riko Kruit, co-founder EVoltify: “Our goal with this fieldtest is to prove that another way of charging is possible, besides installing infrastructure and changing the capacity of the network. By proving this these two weeks, we expect to find enough support for a larger pilot after the test phase. In this pilot we will offer our charging service to more companies on the campus.”
Call: join us!
The organisation of the fieldtest makes a call tot he inhabitants of Startup City for the CommShare shared car. They can use the car of CommShare free of charge during the fieldtest. Irene Amsing, project leader Campus Groningen: “Campus Groningen wants to give the inhabitants of Startup City and other campus dwellers the possibility to get ‘a taste’ of the concept of CommShare. We also help an innovative startup to deliver and to test in a operational situation on the campus.” When the fieldtest of EVoltify is a success, it is the intention to continue the pilot on the campus – on a bigger scale- when technological developments allow this. CommShare will also be more visible on Zernike Campus in the new academic year, to provide the campus community with shared mobility.
Active connection
This project is a good example of the active connection and cooperation that Campus Groningen strives for between education, research and entrepreneurship, to stimulate innovation in sustainability and sustainable mobility. In this respect, EVoltify employs several students of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences and the University of Groningen as interns and researcher.
Photo header f.l.t.r: Rolf Koops (BuildinG), Antonio Fajardo & Riko Kruit (Evoltify), intern Lode Holding, Liselotte Westerveld (Founded in Groningen), intern Evoltify, Max Papo (founded in Groningen), Klaas Holtman (Bedrijv. Ver. WEST), Stephan van der Veer (service provider CommShare), Irene Amsing (Community Coordinator Campus Groningen). Photographer: Mariëlle Lek
EVoltify was started as an answer to ‘range anxiety’ felt by those that use electric vehicles, with a simple way to charge up. Once you’ve parked up, use the app to tell EVoltify where your car is, and we’ll bring the charging station to you! With mobile charging stations you can make sure your car has enough power for trips throughout the day.
CommShare is an all-in-one mobility concept that focuses on the sustainable instillation of electric lease cars for business trips, with a 100 percent guarantee of having a car where and when you need it. The concept is made possible through a collaboration between Triade, Pouw Rent, and Martinistad B.V. BMW & MINI. The concept was launched on Campus Groningen in 2020, with the UMCG as launch partner and customer.
