E-mobility and climate protection

Is e-mobility good for the climate?

For the foreseeable future, there is no alternative to battery-powered electric drive systems. If electricity from renewable sources is used during the 200,000-kilometre life cycle of an electric car, CO2 emissions are reduced by half compared to a vehicle with an internal combustion engine.

Fuel cells and synthetic fuels will not be available at reasonable prices or on an industrial scale with the necessary energy efficiency until the mid-2020s. To accommodate fuel cell technology, a completely new supply infrastructure will be required. And this technology will only become a viable alternative if hydrogen is produced from surplus renewable energy.

Battery-powered electric drive systems have the potential to achieve CO2-neutral mobility. But only if renewable energy is used to manufacture the batteries and the vehicles are powered by green electricity. In its current state, an electric car emits an average of 24 tonnes of CO2 throughout its life cycle.

Volkswagen aims to become CO2-neutral by 2050. This applies to the vehicle fleets as well as to the entire company. In the production of our ID. models, we focus the entire value chain on preventing or reducing CO2 emissions. Volkswagen battery cells are manufactured in Europe and the required energy comes from renewable resources. We are currently working with first and second-tier suppliers to explore further savings potential in the supply chain and in raw material sourcing.

CO2 emissions will be a key aspect in supplier contracts. This is how we can be sure batteries for the Audi e-tron are manufactured and supplied based on CO2-neutral processes.

Incidentally, did you know that the Internet is the world's third-largest consumer of electrical power? Internet data hubs generate about the same amount of CO2 as all global air traffic combined. Even a niche product like Bitcoin consumes as much energy as Denmark.

According to estimates, the number of electric vehicles will increase globally from 2 million to 20 million by 2020. This number is expected to reach 70 million by 2025. The Chinese government plans to ensure that by 2020, 12% of all cars in the country are electrically powered, this alone would add up to more than 30 million e-vehicles. India, several European states and other countries have already announced that they want to ban petrol and diesel engines over the long term.