Launched in 2009 as as a strategic initiative at RWTH Aachen University, the Streetscooter project is now being conducted by a research and development partnership between academia and industry. A total of 20 companies and 15 research institutions are involved in the project. Six industrial companies and – with the recent addition of Athlon Car Lease International – one leasing company are also shareholders in Streetscooter GmbH.

As a co-shareholder, Athlon Car Lease will actively participate and contribute to the research and industry consortium, helping to develop new business models for electric mobility.

'We at Athlon Car Lease are firmly convinced that electric vehicles will represent a substantial part of the mobility solutions market in the future. Our participation in Streetscooter GmbH is therefore an important step towards strengthening our position as a key player in this market,' commented Hans Blink, president of Athlon Car Lease.

'Our decision to collaborate with Streetscooter is supported by the competitiveness it offers and our strong belief in the global expansion of e-mobility. Electric vehicles extend the existing mobility product range for our customers who are concerned about the increasing environmental burden caused by vehicle emissions and want to actively contribute towards reducing the CO2 emissions caused by their vehicle fleet.'

Athlon adds that its its participation in the project provides the possibility of testing the compatibility of the Streetscooter and its impact on their fleet. 'Ultimately, our customers will benefit from all these efforts by being able to chose a completely environmentally-friendly and emission-free car fleet from Athlon Car Lease,' said Mr Blink.

He added: 'The collaboration with Streetscooter thus fits perfectly with our ambition to find new ways for providing sustainable mobility and foster the adoption of electric vehicles within Europe.'

The Streetscooter RWTH vehicle reaches a top speed of 120km/h and offers a range of between 60 and 130km, enabling it to cover approximately 90% of all regular travel needs, according to the firm.