Sustainability meets mobility

Orpund's 2800 inhabitants are keen on environmental protection and alternative energy: a photovoltaic array is planned for the school premises, wood pellets are replacing gas for heating, and clean-up days are organised. Alongside all of this, the municipality wants to promote electromobility: seeking to offer its staff an electric car for their official business that could be shared with the wider community, it contacted Mobility. Mayor Jürg Räber is delighted: "We were adamant that everyone – staff and residents – should benefit from the new electric vehicle." A win-win situation, in other words. The municipality worked with Mobility to create the new location for the Renault Zoe.

Central location

How and where is the vehicle charged? "Located in the village square are two charging points, one for the Mobility vehicle, the second for other EVs," explains the mayor, who himself owns an electric vehicle. The site is ideal because that is also where three bus routes stop – Orpund benefits from good transport links with the region. The Mobility Flex product is capable of being expanded, an important consideration for a growing municipality that will see the building of some 150 new dwellings over the next two years. The municipality is hoping that the new arrivals will make active use of the new amenity.

“The zoe is already busy reserving,” says Peter Schmutz, municipal clerk of the municipality of Orpund. He expresses himself delighted with his most recent experience: "We had to go to Huttwil on municipal business and were amazed to be able to drive the whole distance of over 100 kilometres without having to charge the car." If the conditions are right, the EV is capable of going even further – up to 300 kilometres, according to the manufacturer.