Öko-Institut e.V.: A quiet climate champion

Editorial

[Translate to Englisch:] Jan Peter Schemmel, Sprecher der Geschäftsführung des Öko-Instituts

Making headway at last

Editorial by Jan Peter Schemmel, CEO, Oeko-Institut

Electromobility was the outlier for a long time, until just a few years ago. In 2016, electric vehicles still accounted for less than 1% of new registrations. 2020 saw the figure soaring to 13%, and the number of models available almost quadrupled between 2015 and 2020. When it comes to two-wheelers, electric drives have also followed a clear upward trajectory. E-vehicles are making headway at last. They are, after all, a key element in the urgently needed transformation of the transport…

Making headway at last

In Focus

From resource to recycling

E-mobility’s resource demand

E-mobility is no stranger to criticism – whether it is about ranges, charging infrastructure or CO2 emissions from vehicle manufacturing. Another aspect which is often the focus of attention is e-vehicles’ resource demand and the associated impacts – on water consumption in Latin America, for example. E-vehicle batteries contain substantial quantities of precious metals. Depending on the type of battery, they can contain 5-12 kg of cobalt and 4-15 kg of lithium, although some…

From resource to recycling

Nine years to add 14 million

E-mobility in the commercial sector

They are already a familiar sight on the roads: bikes, mopeds, cars and buses that are powered by batteries instead of petrol. And their numbers are increasing: according to Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority, fully electric passenger cars accounted for a 13.6% share of new registrations in 2021, compared with just 6.7% the previous year. In August 2021, the number of e-vehicles on German roads reached the one million mark for the first time, with fully electric vehicles…

Nine years to add 14 million

[Translate to Englisch:] Drs. Auke Hoekstra (Technische Universität Eindhoven)

“Most people who are opposed to e-vehicles have probably never even sat in one.”

Interview with Drs. Auke Hoekstra (Eindhoven University of Technology)

The batteries run down too fast and can’t be recycled and the emissions are far too high. These are just some of the countless myths surrounding e-mobility. Drs. Auke Hoekstra has heard them all – and is constantly debunking misleading or even false statements about electric vehicles for his 25,000+ Twitter followers. A Program Director at Eindhoven University of Technology, Auke Hoekstra looks at how the energy system and mobility can become greenhouse gas-neutral. In this…

“Most people who are opposed to e-vehicles have probably never even sat in one.”