Cartesius Utrecht has a worldwide first with the official launch of the first bidirectional Hyundai IONIQ 5

The first bi-directional Hyundai IONIQ 5 has been launched in the CAB, the living room of Cartesius Utrecht, a green, sustainable and healthy urban district. Cartesius Utrecht is part of the first region in the world with a bidirectional ecosystem. Electric shared cars function as batteries for large-scale use for the storage of sustainable energy. The Cartesius Consortium; CEO Ballast Nedam Development Onno Dwars and CEO MRP Bart Meijer received State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen, Mayor of Utrecht Sharon Dijksma, Director of Stations and Risk Management and member of the Board of Directors NS Anneke de Vries, CEO Hyundai Europe Michael Cole of Hyundai and Director of We Drive Solar Robin Berg in the CAB for this festive launch.

Utrecht testing ground for local energy generation

In Cartesius shared mobility and part of the bidirectional eco system hosted the launch. Hyundai Headquarters in South Korea has chosen the historic site CAB as the venue to realize the worldwide first for the first V2G (bi-directional) Hyundai ICONIQ 5. Where the foundation stone was laid in 1948 by the NS, Dutch Railway Stations, for the Central Autorepair Company (the CAB), the foundation stone for the accelerated step for the energy transition with the (shared) mobility of the future is now being laid. The Utrecht region is creating a testing ground – unique in the world – by linking local energy generation to the smart charging of electric cars. The Smart Solar Charging concept forms the basis for upgrading to a large-scale implementation of a future energy market. This development offers cities and companies in the Netherlands and Europe the opportunity to lead the way internationally in the energy transition. The scaling up of bidirectional charging makes us an international leader in the Netherlands. It also fits in with the mobility plan 2040 of the municipality of Utrecht, which emphasizes "making mobility more sustainable and improving quality of life". There is also a direct contribution to the climate goals. This collaboration will ensure a significant upscaling of electric shared cars, starting in Utrecht.

For the Dutch press release, please read here. 

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