E.ON Sustainable Mobility
Tomorrow’s transport will be based on biogas and electricity
Sustainable transport requires
a holistic approach
Sustainable Mobility is our effort for sustainable
transport solutions. They are based on biogas and
electricity, or eMobility as we also call it.
These fuels complement each other and when
combined play a key role in reducing the transport
sector’s dependence on fossil fuel. Despite high
ambitions, less than 5 percent of the cars in Sweden
are currently eco-cars and gasoline and diesel used
in road traffic account for about 35 percent of the
country’s carbon emissions.
With Sustainable Mobility, E.ON takes a holistic
approach by focusing on the sustainable transport
that is available here and now. We are accepting
our share of social responsibility by contributing
to the national goal of phasing out the transport
industry’s dependence on fossil fuel by 2030.
eMobility Malmö
Biogas and electricity
are the future
Replacing gasoline and diesel with renewable fuel
is a challenge, but with biogas, we have already
made several steps in that direction. For example,
we own 33 of the more than 100 public filling stations for vehicle gas currently existing in Sweden.
In total, we sell more than 200 GWh of vehicle gas
annually, of which biogas – at our public filling
stations – accounts for more than 50 percent. We
will be strengthening the Swedish vehicle-gas
market further and we have already entered into
cooperation with OKQ8, with the objective of
building a large number of new filling stations
– Sweden’s largest biogas network.
The transport issue must also been viewed from
an international perspective. In order to achieve a
broad and effective introduction of eMobility, E.ON
has engaged in development cooperation with car
manufacturer Volkswagen. Another co­operative
venture has been conducted with BMW in Munich.
In addition, we have several demon­stra­tion projects,
including electric vehicles in such English cities as
Coventry and Birmingham.
In Sweden, jointly with the City of Malmö and the
Swedish Energy Agency, E.ON is investing SEK 40
million over a three-year period in an electricity
infrastructure. The aim is to encourage and stimulate increase in the use of various types of electric
vehicles.
This means that we will be erecting 250 charging
posts for electric vehicles at key points for public
transport, at shopping centers and major workplaces
in the City of Malmö. When it becomes easier to
move freely within the city using various types of
electric vehicles, the need to commute with private
vehicles based on fossil fuel will decrease. It will
also be possible to introduce smaller transport
and service vehicles fueled by electricity on a larger
scale in the Malmö traffic.
The vehicles are available
The first electric vehicles will be launched shortly
and, by 2015, all major car manufacturers in the
world will be able to offer both a small all-electric
car and plug-in hybrids in all size classes. Other
electric vehicles, such as bicycles and mopeds, are
already available in the market.
Climate neutral – and cheaper
There are many reasons why electricity is an
­excellent fuel. An electric car has higher efficiency
and thus requires less energy, compared with a car
that consumes fossil fuel. Electricity does not emit
any exhaust fumes or particles in the immediate
environment. Emissions are concentrated to energy
production. In Sweden, we have excellent opportunities to produce electricity from renewable or
climate-neutral sources, which means that carbon
emissions from traffic will be close to zero. So,
­although electricity consumption will increase
as the number of electric vehicles rises, total
­emissions will decrease, thereby contributing to
a better environment, both locally and globally.
Another advantage is that electricity is less expensive than fossil fuel; the fuel cost is only SEK 2 – 3
per 10 kilometer. Admittedly, an electric vehicle is
more expensive to purchase, but the price can be
partly offset by the low fuel price. Electricity is also
an excellent complement to biogas. While electricity
is suitable for many daily journeys, biogas is the best
fuel for heavy traffic and long-distance transport.
By investing and participating in promotional
­measures for electric vehicles, E.ON aims to drive
development and contribute to us seeing electric
vehicles operating on our streets in the near future
– together with the vehicles that are fueled with
biogas. One of E.ON’s demonstration and development projects for electric vehicles is in Malmö, with
the aim of creating new, sustainable transport
­patterns using electricity as fuel.
We also want to increase knowledge of electric
vehicles as a climate-smart energy solution. If we
are to reduce oil dependence in the transport
industry, long-term change is required, which will
involve society at large. The change begins here
and now.
Electric vehicles and charging stations
There are two types of electric vehicles: plug-in
hybrids and all-electric vehicles. All-electric
vehicles operate only on electricity, while plug-in
hybrids can also operate on conventional fuels,
such as diesel and gasoline, when the battery is
empty. The total driving distance using a plug-in
hybrid is about 800 kilometers, of which electricity is used for the first kilometers and gasoline
or diesel for the remaining distance.
The size of the battery needed in an electric vehicle
depends on the travel habits of the user and whether
the vehicle is a plug-in hybrid or an all-electric
vehicle. Cars with small batteries that are used
for 20 to 200 kilometers will be plug-in hybrids,
while all-electric vehicles will need batteries that
will last for 100 – 200 kilometers. In fact, a full 80
percent of vehicle transports in Sweden operate
within a radius of only 50 kilometers.
Electric vehicles can be charged at home (for
example, overnight) and at a charging station.
At home, it takes five to twelve hours to charge
a vehicle battery from empty to full, while
charging at quick-charging stations will take
only a few minutes.
E.ON Sverige AB
SE-205 90 Malmö
T +46 (0)40 25 50 00
eon.se