Fundación EDPNews

The Princess of Asturias Foundation now has four alternative energy vehicles for its travel requirements this week. The EDP Foundation director, Nicanor Fernández, handed over the vehicles to the director of the Princess of Asturias, Teresa Sanjurjo, during a ceremony held at the Hotel de la Reconquista in Oviedo.

The four vehicles are part of the current EDP fleet and will be refuelled and charged at the energy company's facilities. They are a hybrid (electric and petrol), one natural gas and two electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles offer multiple environmental and economic benefits. On the one hand, its use does not result in CO2 emissions or noise pollution. On the other hand, those vehicles are three times more efficient than fuel ones and, as regards the charging price, users save 80% compared to diesel.

Natural gas is the fossil fuel that generates fewer emissions. Compared to diesel, it cuts emissions of nitrous oxides by 95%, while emissions of sulphur oxides and particulate matter are practically zero. In addition to this environmental benefit, the cost of fuel is significantly lower as it is about 30% that of diesel.

EDP has set up several charging points in Asturias to charge electric vehicles in public areas. It has handed over those points to local councils through different partnership agreements. There are six in Gijón, two in Pola de Siero and one in Candás. Furthermore, two new points will soon come into service in Castrillón. The company also has over 20 points at its facilities.

As regards natural gas refuelling, EDP has the first eco-station in northern Spain, in Gijón, where both light vehicles and lorries can be refuelled.

In this area of sustainable mobility, EDP has implemented an ambitious plan to replace its vehicles with more efficient ones, the introduction of car sharing and extending and modernising the public charging points for electric vehicles.

Overall, both the electric and natural gas technologies meet the needs of consumers who are increasingly more aware of protecting the environment and sustainability mobility.

With the loan of these four vehicles, the Princess of Asturias Foundation consolidates its firm commitment to offsetting and reducing its carbon footprint during Prize Week. This action is in addition to the partnership with the Ecology and Development Foundation (ECODES), which has granted the CeroCO2 label to the prizes for the sixth consecutive year.