25.5.2021

Enormous potential for electromobility

Last month, the FOEN published the figures for greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland for 2019. The results are sobering. Not only will the 2020 climate targets be missed in all probability, but the environmental impact in the transport sector even increased slightly compared to 1990. One way to bring this sector in line with the Kyoto Protocol is to expand electromobility.

Traffic as the biggest scapegoat

While in the other sectors of buildings, industry and agriculture, emission reductions of over a third compared to 1990 were recorded in some cases, transport in Switzerland caused approx. 1% more environmental pollution. The target of -10% by 2020 will most likely be missed by a wide margin. Although more efficient engines reduce emissions per kilometre, this effect is more than compensated for by the increase in distance travelled, making transport the biggest scapegoat of Swiss greenhouse gas emitters.

Improving the traffic balance with e-mobility

+1% instead of -10%: Swiss transport is far from the target. To ensure that this sector also contributes adequately to the reduction of greenhouse gases, there is a strong focus on the expansion of e-mobility. As numerous studies have now found, electrically powered mobility is massively more climate-friendly than combustion engines, from production and operation to disposal or recycling, as it produces significantly fewer emissions. As early as 2010, EMPA researchers calculated that the environmental impact of an average electric car at the time was equivalent to a petrol car that consumed 4 litres of petrol per 100 km. Expressed in figures, the battery (production, operation and disposal) causes just 15% of all emissions. The remaining 85% are caused by charging or the electricity used for this purpose. In Switzerland, however, there are only a few emissions here, as 75% of the local electricity mix in 2019 consisted of renewable energies. Electric cars also score highly compared to combustion engines in terms of noise pollution and particulate matter.

Technologies for clean mobility already available

Despite all the advantages, electric cars do not come entirely without negative aspects. Above all, implementing the necessary charging stations in garages is a challenge for both grid operators and property owners. Often, the main connection does not provide enough power to meet the increased demand caused by charging stations. To avoid an expensive and cumbersome expansion of this power, alternatives already exist today. Technologies such as CLEMAP's dynamic load management, which automatically controls and directs the charging of electric cars, prevent overloading and at the same time allow vehicles to be charged. The path for clean mobility has been paved, now it is time to follow it.

Read in our reference project how a property owner met the increased electricity demand that arose due to his tenants' choice of electric cars and how he benefits from the dynamic CLEMAP Load Management.

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