Amsterdam: gearing up for a greener future
The official opening of the new headquarters of the Korean manufacturer of electric vehicles, Creative Transportation and Technology (CT&T), took place in Amsterdam on 9 September 2010, in the presence of the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven.
The world’s largest electric vehicle producer
CT&T is the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer.
Many influential people, such as Maria van der Hoeven, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, the head of the Electric Mobility section of Amsterdam and numerous members of the Netherlands’ business community, attended the opening of the new headquarters and showroom in Amsterdam.
Stimulating the development of electric vehicles
At the opening, the minister announced that she will contribute an additional 3.5 million euros to stimulate the development of electric vehicles in the Netherlands. This amount is in addition to the 15 million euros the Minister had already dedicated to the cause and illustrates that the Dutch government takes sustainable economic development seriously.
Eco-friendly city
Amsterdam has green ambitions as well and is one of the most eco-friendly cities in the world, according to Mercer Consulting, ranking 13th this year, after cities such as Vancouver, Auckland and Vienna. Previous research identified Amsterdam as one of the least congested cities in Europe and the most bike-friendly capital of the world.
Committed to sustainability
Amsterdam works hard at becoming a green capital. The city has implemented a new subsidy scheme that encourages business to adopt sustainable transportation. The subsidy scheme reimburses business for up to 50% of the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle, demonstrating Amsterdam's commitment to sustainability.
More recharging points
Amsterdam’s commitment doesn’t end here. The city of Amsterdam plans to increase the number of recharging points for electric cars from 100 to almost 2,000. City planners hope that by making the stations more convenient, the result will be an increase in use of electric cars. Currently, there are 150 electric cars making use of existing stations. Amsterdam’s goal for 2009 was having 5 percent, or 10,000 vehicles, of all cars in the city electric by 2015.
Amsterdam: city of the future
In a city dedicated to promoting the use of electric vehicles, the presence of a large player such as CT&T comes as no surprise. Tony Michell, Managing Director of CT&T Europe states, “We chose the Netherlands because of its foreign investor friendly climate and Amsterdam because we see it as a city of the future with a far-sighted vision of the future. But we plan to assemble vehicles in the Netherlands, in two or more locations, which will be not only sold in the country but also exported until we have built more plants in other locations.”
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