Parallel to COP23 UN Climate Change Conference FEV hosted the first “Zero CO2 Mobility Conference” in Aachen: International experts discussed CO2-relevant innovations for future powertrain technologies

Parallel to COP23 UN Climate Change Conference FEV hosted its first conference on Zero CO2 Mobility on November 9 and 10, 2017, in Aachen. (Quelle: FEV Group)

Increasingly, the experts agree that propulsion system electrification is not the only approach for achieving CO₂-neutral mobility, but it is an important component of the solution. To discuss boundary conditions and possible solutions, FEV held its first conference on Zero CO₂ Mobility on November 9 and 10, 2017, in Aachen. More than 140 participants from the automotive, fuel, and energy industries, research and development, and the German Federal Environmental Agency discussed various aspects of CO₂ neutral mobility in five discussion panels. In addition to topics related to infrastructure, the potential and performance of various forms of energy storage was also discussed – from battery technologies to eco-fuels and e-fuels.

“Calculations published recently by the German Federal Environmental Agency indicate that Germany will fall short of the climate goals it set for 2020 by an even larger margin than predicted so far. The transport sector will also achieve lower CO₂ reductions than originally planned,” explained Professor Stefan Pischinger, the chairman of the conference. “These studies, as well as the large number of participants in our conference, emphasize that the question of how to realize a balanced fleet strategy is more topical than ever.”

 “Greenhouse gas-neutral transport on the streets is only possible with a significant part of directly used electric power. For the aviation and maritime transport as well as parts of the road freight transport, greenhouse gas-neutral e-fuels will still be needed in large quantities in the future,” explained Dr. Martin Lange from the Federal Environmental Agency.

Thus, all experts believe that there will be several solutions for future CO₂-free mobility occurring in parallel – including battery-powered drives and combustion engines that are operated with CO₂-neutral PtX fuels.

In addition, the experts shared the view that, to reach the Paris 2050 climate goals, this mix of beneficial CO₂ powertrain technologies must achieve strong market penetration as soon as possible – especially in the form of fully and partially electrified vehicles (BEV and PHEV) and the development and production of e-fuels. Internal combustion engines in existing fleets can help to minimize CO₂ emissions by adding e-fuels to a certain percentage to conventional fuels. In the short term, use of CNG will enable CO₂ emission reductions of up to 80 percent. Due to their high efficiency, clean EU6 diesel engines should be used especially for heavy passenger cars, SUVs and transporters, as they also contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions.

Following the success of this year’s conference, FEV is already planning the second Zero CO₂ Mobility Conference, which will take place in Aachen in November of 2018.