The transformation to sustainable mobility

The transformation of car mobility towards renewable energy sources is an important and necessary step. This is the only way to reduce CO₂ emissions in the transport sector - a crucial measure for meeting climate protection targets. Car manufacturers within Germany and the EU have already taken important steps to enable the ramp-up of electromobility.

However, discussions and scenarios relating to the battery electric vehicle (BEV) fleet have so far often taken the infrastructure and the amount of renewable energy required for granted. A functioning charging infrastructure is essential to ensure the acceptance and sales of electric vehicles - but its expansion is currently lagging behind the necessary progress.

For the whitepaper "Transformation to sustainable mobility", we analysed the current data situation and developed a simulation model that shows the discrepancy between the ramp-up of electromobility and the expansion of the infrastructure by 2050. Our findings are groundbreaking and show the technical challenges that need to be overcome.

• 320 per cent increase in infrastructure expansion: The largest increase in charging station infrastructure, electricity grid expansion and the expansion of renewable energies must take place in the 2030s.
• A focus on the expansion of high-power chargers (HPC) with 350 kW and more is necessary in order to increase customer acceptance through short charging times in public spaces.
• More than 1,000 charging points per day: With a focus on expansion compared to the current expansion rate with an increase in HPC chargers in the charging infrastructure, more than 1,000 charging points per day still need to be installed in order to meet the EU regulatory targets.
• 88 HPC chargers with 350 kW every 60 km must be made available along long-distance roads by 2050 in order to meet EU targets and the energy requirements for long-distance journeys.
• An additional 8 million kilometres of power lines are needed by 2050 to ensure the transfer of electricity within the EU.
• 425 TWh is the annual electricity requirement for the European car and light commercial vehicle fleet in the long term. This corresponds to the current final energy consumption of France per year.
• 40 per cent of the power lines in the EU will have reached or exceeded the end of their technical service life by 2050. These will need to be renewed in addition to the required infrastructure expansion.

It is crucial that the regulatory framework is created to accelerate the necessary measures to expand the charging infrastructure. Equally important is a framework for the development of renewable energy generation and storage as well as the expansion of the electricity grid infrastructure. The findings of our analyses and simulations also show that a multi-technology strategy in the drive types is essential for the successful transformation of sustainable mobility. This means that, in addition to the electrification of the vehicle fleet, combustion engines in combination with sustainable energy sources such as green hydrogen, advanced biofuels and RFNBOs must continue to be used in all mobility applications and be promoted and authorised by EU regulators.

In our whitepaper, which you can download now, we describe the current status of the car transformation and derive the measures required by 2050 from the EU regulatory requirements. We also explain why charging infrastructure, energy and networks are the key drivers of the transformation.