METRO goes ahead with E-Mobility
11 June 2019Grand opening of 62 electric charging stations
80 charging stations are now available for employees, guests and customers on the METRO Campus in total. METRO is thereby consistently driving its commitment to sustainable and alternative mobility
After a four-month construction period METRO was able to inaugurate the new charging stations on the campus of its Düsseldorf headquarters today. The aim is to meet the growing demand for charging private and company electric vehicles (EVs) expected for the coming years. Promoting e-mobility is one of the measures implemented by the international wholesale company to reach the company target of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions per square meter of selling and delivery space by half until 2030 (reference year: 2011).
The official handover ceremony was also attended by Christoph Dammermann, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. In his welcome address, Christoph Dammermann acknowledged the promotion of sustainable and alternative drive technologies. The state government sees the extension of the charging network as an important contribution to supporting the further deployment of e-mobility:
The state government treats the spreading of electric charging infrastructure as an important contribution for the future development of E-Mobility. Parking grounds for employees fit perfectly for charging stations, because of the long holding times without delay.
Christoph Dammermann, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
We are committed to further extending e-mobility – for our employees, in our delivery business and for our local customers. For us, promoting e-mobility is not only part of our commitment to cutting our company’s greenhouse gas emissions by half until 2030. Another decisive element is also to sustainably improve the quality of life and the air quality in urban regions – in other words, in those places where a major part of our customers serve their guests.
Christof Knop, Co-CEO of METRO Deutschland GmbH
Within the framework of the event, METRO AG was also able to present the signed agreement with the state capital of Düsseldorf and the Düsseldorf industry on the improvement of air quality to Thomas Vieten, Transportation Expert of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Düsseldorf. The wholesale specialist is now a “mobility partner” of the state capital. Next to plenty of METRO employees participated ambassadors of the Council of Düsseldorf the german trade association and a representative of the climate group at the event. The employees and invited guests also had the opportunity to learn more about the e-mobility concept of METRO. Electric vehicles from TESLA, BMW and Volkswagen were available for test drives.
Pushing sustainable mobility further
Rolling out charging stations accelerates the shift to electric vehicles while also creating new business benefits for retailers. By offering free charging at its stores, our EV100 member METRO provides an added service for its customers while they shop and increases visibility of EV charging across German cities – showing how businesses can boost awareness and market growth of clean vehicles.
Mike Peirce, Corporate Partnerships Director, The Climate Group
