Nikola Tesla EV Croatia Rally is one of the most beautiful and quietest rallies in the world.
For the fifth year in a row, the most beautiful and quietest rally in the world, Nikola Tesla EV Rally Croatia, will take place in May and June. Its driving force is Tina Kolovrat, reports Women in Adria on April 10, 2017.
As director of E.V.A. Blue company from Zagreb, Tina Kolovrat and her husband conceived and initiated the tourist-technology project five years ago, aimed at promoting beauties of Croatia and its cultural heritage and promoting Croatia as an “e-mobility friendly” holiday destination.
“Just five years ago, there were only a dozen electric vehicles in Croatia and just four charging stations. Our idea of a rally of electric vehicles, that would also be a platform for the implementation and promotion of various e-mobility solutions, was at the time described as ‘brave.’ Today, they say that the project is ‘innovative’ and ‘original,’ and in 2016 it was declared by an independent international advertising agencies as one of the top 10 ‘premium travel brands’ in the world,” said Kolovrat.
The next edition of the most beautiful and quietest rally in the world, Nikola Tesla EV Rally Croatia 2017, will start in Istria, on 31 May, and end on 7 June in Zagreb. During eight days of driving along the 1,400 km long route through beautiful landscapes, the participants will visit many towns, five islands and six national parks: Poreč, Rovinj, Hum, Kringa, Beram, Vodnjan, Pula, Brijuni, Opatija, Senj, Krk, Cres, Lošinj, Pag, Paklenica, Zadar (Greeting to the Sun and Sea Organs), Šibenik, Krka, Split, Trogir, Smiljan, Plitvice Lakes and Zagreb. The goal is to promote e-vehicles, renewable energy resources and spread knowledge about necessary infrastructure for e-vehicles.
More than 90 percent of participants are foreigners from all over the world who come to discover the natural beauties and cultural heritage of Croatia, which was one of the goals in 2013 when the project was started.
Kolovrat points out that the route has not been randomly selected, because it is also a “green electric highway” her company set up and installed a network of charging stations for electric vehicles. “The idea of the rally is a joint cooperation and integration of partners, towns, tourist boards and affiliated institutions in order to establish the infrastructure for electric vehicles. During these five years, we have managed to stimulate positive processes in the direction of joining the recent global trends in the field of electromobility, reducing harmful emissions, improving traffic safety, development of infrastructure, and strengthening of tourism, technology and energy potential of Croatia. We have the support, both at national level from the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy, and at the local level from towns and local tourist boards.”
“We have set up charging stations at some symbolic checkpoints like, perhaps most importantly, in front of the birth home of Nikola Tesla in Smiljan. That site has become a sort of a pilgrimage location for owners of electric vehicles coming to Croatia from all over Europe, even from as far as Norway and Denmark. The fact that Nikola Tesla, whose name in the whole world personifies innovation and technological achievements, was born in Croatia, was an additional argument why the rally should be called after him. Tesla’s name should be used in the branding of our country abroad,” added Kolovrat.
“In America, there are several companies which bear his name, and the most important one is Tesla Motors, the manufacturer of Tesla electric vehicles, which is most responsible for the popularization of Tesla’s life and work. Our company uses only electric vehicles so we have a Tesla Model S and about 100 e-scooters which are offered for short-term and long-term lease for tourism.”
“The latest project of the company is a high-tech solar station for rapid charging of electric vehicles, with battery energy storage, a VR room, 3Di infotainment system, and organic local products, which is an excellent example of combining tradition, tourism, promotion and technology. In this area, we work together with some of the best Croatian companies and our wish is for the state institutions to get involved as well.”
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