Page 7 - European Energy Innovation - Winter 2014

Winter 2014 European Energy Innovation 7
Despite many unsolved problems,
Germany has pushed for a
programme, for one million
electric cars on the streets in
2020. Set into the perspective of
almost 50 million vehicles in the
country, the contribution of these
measures will be insufficient,
although the subsidies amount
to several billion euros. Let us
take a look across the borders of
Europe: During the last five years,
the number of cars has doubled
in Asia. In China there are about
seven million cars more per year!
If the Chinese use the car only
half as much as we do, no one
will be able to take the car in
the future, because there is not
enough oil, steel, lithium for the
batteries and space on the streets.
COMPETITION WITH RAIL AND
BUS
Due to its short range, the e-car
primarily competes with more
sustainable modes of transport,
such as busses, trains and bikes.
Especially in cities, the car literally
is the motor that drives the
decrease of the quality of life.
Therefore, we do not need new
automobile competitors to other
short-range vehicles but rather an
alternative to space-wasting cars -
regardless of the engine.
The emissions are in fact only
one of five problems of current
car use, which can be solved by a
switch to e-cars and their lifecycle
has to be improved. Others are
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noise, which is influenced by the
speed, the tyres and road surface,
especially in densely populated
regions. Third, car traffic is
responsible for many accidents
that kill 25,000 people per year
in the EU. Fourth, the costs: Every already happening: London
car is subsidized € 1,600 per year, and Stockholm have made the
if the accident and climate costs
are included. And this amount is
paid for every taxpayer, even if
he or she has no car. Fifth, land
use: every day more than 100
hectares are covered by asphalt
in Germany. The government
only wants to reduce it to 30 ha
in 2020! Electric cars would not
change that a bit.
It is and remains a scandal that
environmentally-friendly transport
is more expensive in Europe
than environmentally-harmful
transportation. These problems
can only be solved by other
modes of e-mobility: E-bikes are
booming right now without any
subsidies.
INCREASING ENERGY DEMAND
To achieve the climate protection
targets a fundamental change is
needed in the transport sector.
The Royal Academy of Sciences
in the UK has calculated that
electricity demand on the island
would rise by 16 percent, if e-cars spokesman for the Green group,
were introduced on a large
scale. To increase the demand of
energy is especially problematic
- not least in light of the current Since 1979 he has been mobile
problems with Russia.
E-MOBILITY
A radical change in transport
policy is needed. In cities the
transport sector is responsible
for 70% of all emissions, which
are harmful to the climate. But
in some places a change is
car an unwanted guest in city
centers by the introduction
of congestion charges. On
the other hand bicycle traffic
increases everywhere, from
Sevilla to Copenhagen. In
German cities over 90 percent
of all car trips are shorter than
6 kilometers: These are ideal
distances to switch to bus, train,
e-bike, bicycle and walking.
Overall short-and long-distance
rail and public transportation like
trams are modes of e-mobility,
which have already proved their
success for a long time and have
a renaissance worldwide, in Paris,
London and New York. These are
the approaches for the future of
our mobility that we would like
to see on a long run. MICHAEL
CRAMER
Since 2004 Michael Cramer
is a Member of the European
Parliament (EP), working mainly
on EU transport policy. After
ten years as transport policy
he was elected chairman of the
Committee on Transport and
Tourism (TRAN) in July 2014.
without a car. l