The company, which is based in Walldorf, Germany, has taken delivery of the fleet of electric cars as part of its "Future Fleet" research project, which is testing the use of electric vehicles powered by energy generated exclusively from renewable sources with the help of MVV Energie, a regional utility company based in Mannheim.

The field test takes place from February to September and will see around 450 SAP employees take part, using the electric cars for periods of several days in place of their usual company cars, for purposes such as business trips.

The goal of the project is to study the everyday usability and sustainability of electricity-based transportation. To achieve this, project members are constructing a dedicated charging infrastructure in cooperation with MVV Energie and integrating it into existing energy grids, as well as developing and testing modern information and communication technology to help ensure efficient energy use.

The infrastructure will includes smart charging stations capable of filling electric cars exclusively with certified green energy. These stations will be available at SAP locations in Germany, including Walldorf, Bensheim, St. Leon-Rot and Karlsruhe, as well as at MVV Energie in Mannheim, which is also adopting electric cars into its fleet as part of the same project.

SAP hopes that the "Future Fleet" research project can help cut its direct CO2 emissions in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, of which 80% can currently be attributed to the use of company cars.