7 does not need to worry about being stranded because of insufficient range or the lack of charging stations. However, discontinuing or reducing subsidies for hybrid vehicles also means further stigmatising the piston engine. Already in the past, the piston engine – at that time still using fossil fuels – has proven its enormous development potential in terms of consumption reduction and environmental friendliness. And this potential is far from exhausted, especially with non-fossil fuels. Piston engine technology is an extremely important structural element of our automotive supply industry in particular. The creeping disappearance of piston engine development and production means a loss of jobs that should not be underestimated in an industrial sector that continues to be internationally recognised for its high technological level. In the Saarland alone, we are talking about an order of magnitude of about 40,000 jobs that are directly dependent on combustion engine technology. Why is the expansion of the charging infrastructure so slow? Armin Gehl: Obviously, the original target was too ambitious. But nevertheless, the expansion of the charging infrastructure is making remarkable progress. Germany currently has around 28,000 public charging stations. However, the registration rate of e-vehicles is rising faster than the number of charging stations. The increasing number of private charging stations is having a positive effect – not least due to the intensive state subsidies. The disparity between urban conurbations and more rural regions, as well as the insufficient number of fast charging stations in the countryside, continues to be a disadvantage. There is a clear backlog demand for so-called charging hubs for heavy goods traffic along the most important long-distance transport routes. Incidentally, the same applies to the provision of hydrogen filling stations for truck traffic. Here, our neighbouring countries are several steps ahead of us. In which development fields do you see the greatest need for measures to further decarbonise our automotive transport sector? Armin Gehl: Besides the expansion of hydrogen technology, I see first and foremost the development of e-fuels. In any scenario for phasing out combustion technology, the fate of 1.2 billion existing vehicles worldwide and around 67 million in Germany with classic combustion engines remains open. To solve this problem, the development and widespread introduction of synthetic fuels is almost inevitable. We must succeed in producing sufficient quantities of synthetic fuels in an economically viable and climate-neutral manner. This would allow a large proportion of existing vehicles autoregion e.V. https://t1p.de/9zqv Contact https://t1p.de/xp0v8 Events https://t1p.de/v3se Press releases https://t1p.de/tr5k Summary Dekarbonisierung des Verkehrssektors – stimmt die Richtung? Interview mit Armin Gehl, Geschäftsführer des autoregion e.V., Saarbrücken Sind wir auf dem richtigen Weg hin zur Dekarbonisierung des Verkehrssektors oder erweisen sich die Versprechungen der Politik in der konkreten Umsetzung als zu ambitioniert? Hat man insbesondere bei alternativen Antriebsarten auf das richtige Pferd gesetzt oder laufen wir Gefahr, wichtige Entwicklungen und technologische Chancen zu verschlafen? Ein Diskurs über Möglichkeiten und konkrete poli- tische Weichenstellung als Beitrag zum Klimawandel im Verkehrssektor. Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/ldnjw to continue to be used with little retrofitting. The production of electric vehicles with environmentally harmful battery technology could be at least partially replaced by the production of vehicles with environmentally friendly, CO2-neutral combustion technology. This would also secure the high technological level of the internal combustion engine, which is important for international competition, including the jobs that depend on it for our automotive and supplier industry. The infrastructure issue would also appear in a completely different light. The existing filling station network would be available for synthetic fuels and the cost-intensive expansion of the charging infrastructure, especially in rural regions, could be at least partially dispensed with. To politically ignore all these advantages of e-fuels is simply foolish. In this context, how do you assess the recent decision by the EU Parliament to no longer allow combustion engines from 2035? Armin Gehl: The “end” for the combustion engine decided by the EU Parliament is an industrial policy disaster that could cost many jobs in the automotive supply industry in Saarland and the greater region. The unilateral commitment to the battery-powered electric engine is a mistake that recklessly gambles away our unique technological know-how in engine construction with unforeseeable consequences for jobs, industrial structures and our international competitiveness. This momentous decision would also mean the end of the development of climate-neutral, electricity-based fuels, which are urgently needed to supply the approximately 1.5 billion existing vehicles worldwide. I can only hope that the German government will take its commitment to openness to technology seriously and influence the further parliamentary process in Brussels accordingly. The war in Ukraine will – at least in the medium and long term – lead to a fundamental transformation of our energy supply systems. What consequences will this have for the decarbonisation of transport? Armin Gehl: The consequences of this conflict are currently very difficult to assess in terms of their concrete impact – also in view of the ongoing hostilities. Nevertheless, certain tendencies are certainly discernible. It can certainly be ruled out that there will be a renaissance of fossil fuels. The reduction of dependence on Russian energy supplies will lead to a significant expansion of renewable energies. This will increase the pressure for a faster decarbonisation of the transport sector. The transformation of the energy sector will continue to lead to a change in the price structure of the various energy sources among themselves and thus cast a different light on the economic viability of alternative forms of propulsion such as e-fuels and hydrogen. This will open up new opportunities and possibilities for alternative drive types. Mr Gehl, thank you for the interview. The interview was conducted by Dr Rudolf Müller, freelance journalist, Mainz. Share
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