On the way to climate-neutral road traffic

How do CNG vehicles perform compared to fuel-cell vehicles and battery electric vehicles? Image: Empa - If 60% of the conventional gasolineand diesel-powered passenger cars in Switzerland were to be converted to "electricity-based" vehicles by 2050, i.e., battery vehicles, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles and vehicles powered by synthetic fuels, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the fleet could be reduced by two to 4.5 million tons annually, which is substantial when compared to the current level of around six million tons. However, the framework conditions are crucial. Road traffic is currently responsible for more than 30% of Switzerland's greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing these emissions is complex because the switch from fossil-based mobility to electricity-based mobility will only lead to substantial reduction in global GHG pollution if more renewable energy is integrated into the energy system at the same time. In a study funded by the Competence Center for Energy and Mobility of the ETH Domain (CCEM) and recently published in the journal Applied Energy, researchers from Empa, the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), ETH Zurich and EPFL jointly investigated the potential of electricity-based mobility in terms of reducing climate change impact. This was done against the background of the changing Swiss energy system.