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Day: 2 June 2021

Venturi to launch world’s first zero emissions polar explorer

by: Cassandra Tanti
02/06/2021

Venturi, the Monegasque high-performance electric vehicle constructor, is set to unveil the world’s first ever zero emissions polar exploration vehicle on World Environment Day, 5th June.
Returning from a trip to the Antarctic in 2019, Prince Albert II of Monaco remarked to Venturi’s President Gildo Pastor that the research stations there had no environmentally-friendly, non-polluting vehicles. So, the Prince Albert II Foundation asked Venturi to come up with a zero emissions solution, to carry passengers and equipment to and from the scientific research sites.
Three successive versions of the vehicle were designed. The latest, presented to the Prince at Venturi’s workshops on 1st June, will be operational from 7th December 2021 at the Belgian Princess Elisabeth research station.

Photo of Venturi’s explorer vehicle with Spitsbergen – Svalbard and Jan Mayer Icebergs peaking from a frozen sea with mountains in the background, supplied by Venturi

Antarctica’s bodywork and styling were created by Sacha Lakic, the designer with whom Venturi has worked closely for many years. His vision cleverly navigates the technical constraints imposed by the research and development department, most of which are to do with the vehicle’s thermal insulation, the size of the battery, and the chassis’ tubular structure.
Sacha Lakic also succeeded in the challenge of devising a design that is versatile, yet ensures the right level of comfort for the vehicle’s occupants. With its fold-down bench seats, Antarctica is able to carry up to six people, along with equipment and a second battery to extend the initial range of 50 kilometres.
Antarctica is the encapsulation of Venturi’s technological expertise. The Research and Development teams – already working on the Voxan and Venturi world speed records programme – have created a completely unique vehicle, equipped with cutting-edge technological solutions that are both bold and clever.
On Tuesday 1st June, during his visit to see the next generation Antarctica for the first time, Venturi presented the Prince with a gift of the original prototype that he drove in Canada in March 2019. Prince Albert II took the controls of the vehicle to navigate part of the 42-kilometre mountainside route between Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek, on the lands of the Tahltan people.
Prince Albert with the team in Canada 2019, photo provided by Venturi

“It remains a source of great pride for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to work alongside intrepid and visionary entrepreneurs like Gildo Pastor, making sustainable innovation not just the core of their R&D, but using it to further the cause of science and preserving our planet,” said Olivier Wenden, Vice-President and Chief Executive of the Prince Albert II Foundation.
“This new Antarctica vehicle is itself a magnificent example of the feats we are capable of, and I am sure it will be a real asset for the scientists at Princess Elisabeth Antarctic research station. The polar regions, particularly fragile and vulnerable, must be the focus of all our attentions. They are on the front line of the devastating effects of climate change. To improve our knowledge without disturbing ecosystems, using a zero-emissions vehicle capable of withstanding extreme conditions, is a major step forward.”
Photo of Gildo Pastor by Venturi

Since 2000, the Venturi Group has specialised in the design and manufacture of high-performance electric vehicles. Whether through world records, expeditions on hostile terrain, the creation of the first electric sports car, the development of innovative vehicles or its involvement in the Formula E World Championship, the Venturi Group embodies and demonstrates all the capabilities of the electric vehicle on two or four wheels.
“With the Venturi Antarctica, scientists are getting an efficient, easy-to-handle vehicle with very good performance,” said Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi. “They will be able to carry out their research in optimum conditions, without polluting sites where the quality of analyses needs to be accurate down to the last molecule. We are proud to have developed a technological solution that fulfils the remit given to us by the Prince Albert II Foundation.”
 
READ ALSO:

Gildo Pastor’s motorcycle team makes history books

Venturi reveals world’s first high speed e-motorcycle

Electric car brand Venturi celebrates 20th year

 
 
 
Monaco Life with Venturi press release
 
 
 

What’s the Riviera's situation two weeks after reopening?

by: Stephanie Horsman
02/06/2021

The Alpes-Maritimes has hit the critical two-week mark, the amount of time epidemiologists agree that it takes to substantially measure the effects of ‘deconfinement’. Now, the question is: have the reopenings negatively impacted the health situation?

On 19th May, the people of the Alpes-Maritimes were once again free to enjoy aperos on a terrace with friends, an afternoon shopping excursion or a trip to the cinema. It was also the first time in many months that a sense of normalcy returned to the area, with actual smiling faces replacing masks and the population basking in the late spring sun and doing the things everyone once took for granted.

But has all this freedom come with a price?

 According to the French government website, the answer is no, so far.  

Since 19th May, the number of people contracting Covid has actually slowed down and begun to decline. In fact, the current incidence rate of 26.77 cases per 100,000 residents has not been this low since August 2020, and is down 41.38%  on the previous week.

The latest data from 22nd to 28th May shows that, on average, there have been about 40 new cases per day. This isn’t bad considering the department has over one million inhabitants. 

The positivity rate among those being tested for Covid-19 in the department has also been on the decline since 19th May, down 41.4%.

Another bit of good news is that hospital admission rates have gone down to summer 2020 levels, albeit slightly slower than pre-19th May. In February, at the pinnacle of the crisis, there were in excess of 750 patients in hospital. Today, it is two-thirds that number. Though this is still rather high, it has taken enormous pressure off the hospitals with only two in three beds now being occupied.

Intensive care patients have also decreased significantly. Whilst there were 136 Covid-related cases at the height, the latest figures show that number to be 33 with only one new case on 31st May, down 50% over the last seven days.

Vaccinations are also on the rise, with 464,741 people in the Alpes Maritimes having received at least their first dose, and 257,165 being fully vaccinated as of 31st May. This added layer of protection will bode well for not only stopping the virus in its tracks but stopping summer 2021 from turning into another “bummer summer”.

 

READ ALSO:
Monaco’s Covid incidence rate hits new 2021 low

 

 
 
Photo by Paul Teysen on Unsplash
 
 
 

Students, businesses to benefit from new initiative

by: Stephanie Horsman
02/06/2021

A new website has been launched in the Principality connecting employers and students for work-study positions.
The Youth Employment Unit of the Employment Service, in conjunction with the Department of Social Affairs and Health, has launched the new website.
A beneficial set-up for both students and employers, work-study programmes are wildly successful and hugely popular. The trouble is often finding the right programme for students and finding the right candidates for employers.
Now, it is possible for both sides to connect, thanks to a Youth Employment Unit of the Employment Service and Department of Social Affairs and Health website which links employers and students in Monaco.
Students who choose work-study situations have advantages over those who don’t go this route, notably that they can obtain on-the-job training in their chosen fields, as well as differentiating themselves from the pack all with the support of their educational institution and their employer.
The website is geared toward students aged 16 to 26 and Monaco-based companies looking for more information on work-study programmes. This includes how the system works, news and information about the different players involved.
Students can ask for in-depth information on their status, pay or what kind of work they will be performing, as well as help in finding a suitable school in the region along with companies and banks who are looking to hire.
The site is up and running as of 1st June, ready to pair up suitable candidates and establishments.
 
 
 
 
 

Symbolic milestone in Monaco’s journey to 100% clean energy

by: Cassandra Tanti
02/06/2021

Monaco has removed the last fuel oil boiler from its public buildings, making way for the water-powered technology that the Principality pioneered more than 50 years ago.
As part of the Energy Transition policy of the Prince’s Government, the Service and Maintenance of Public Buildings, in collaboration with SeaWergie, has carried out the dismantling of its last thermal installation using fossil fuels – the fuel oil boilers of the Administrative Centre, located at 8 rue Louis Notari.
By the third quarter of 2021, the new source of energy for the Administrative Centre will be ocean thermal energy, which is already in wide use throughout the Principality. The heat pump technology captures the energy naturally present in the environment, particularly in seawater, and uses it to heat or cool buildings and to produce hot water.
The Administrative Centre will be equipped with two heat pumps connected to the ocean thermal energy loop located in la Condamine, which will reduce CO2 emissions on this site alone by nearly six tons per year.
It is an important milestone in Monaco’s Energy Transition, utilising technology that the Principality pioneered close to 60 years ago.
Monaco was one of the first countries in the world to develop the use of this type of energy along its coastline. The Principality installed its first seawater heat pump in 1963 at the Rainier III Outdoor Swimming Stadium to heat the pool water.
The country now has more than 80 pumps in operation, including those at the Grimaldi Forum, the Oceanographic Museum, the Rainier III Auditorium, various SBM buildings, and Le Winch – the first private development to be connected to La Condamine’s seawater heat pump.
 
 
 
 
 

Rare loss for Roca team

by: Stephanie Horsman
02/06/2021

AS Monaco Basketball ended a five-game winning streak to Châlons-Reims on Tuesday night, losing 92-98.
Despite playing in the Champagne-making capital of the world, the Roca team didn’t have reason to celebrate with any of the famous fizz after their 92-98 defeat against Châlons-Reims, marking only their fifth loss of the season.
It was a big night for the home team who were finally able to welcome back their fans, and they put on quite a show, stopping Monaco’s five game run of luck. The loss was disappointing to be sure but not a deal-breaker, as ASM still retains the top spot in Jeep Elite standings.
The game wasn’t a blowout, and the two teams were quite evenly matched. Châlons-Reims had an incredible night offensively, their best of the season, delivering 11 for 23 three-pointers and collecting 33 rebounds.
The Roca team were no slouches on the offensive side either, but they just didn’t have the fire in their bellies the way their opponents did.
Monaco and Châlons were neck and neck for most of the game, and it was an exciting one to watch.  It wasn’t until the very end of the game that Monaco started to flag, giving Châlons-Reims the edge they needed to get the win.
The Roca team made 34 shots out of 52 attempts going 11 for 21 in three-point range. They collected 28 rebounds, including seven from Dee Bost and six from Mathias Lessort. There were 22 assists, and 11 steals were made, with Abdou Ndoye taking four on his own, and the team picked up 19 strays.
Rob Gray was high scorer, making 24 points on his own. Lessort was next up with 15 points and Marcos Knight after that with 13.
The road trip continues for Monaco when they go up against Chorale Roanne on Thursday night before finally heading home again to play JL Bourg on Sunday.
 
 
 
 
Monaco Life with AS Monaco Basketball press release