Making e-mobility sustainable
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Making e-mobility sustainable

With climate change undeniable and new CO2 emissions restrictions, lower carbon transportation is necessary.

A recent study about the desire for progress found that respondents cared most about further development of e-vehicles. Cloé Jans, the study director of The Credit Suisse Progress Barometer commented that, "When technical progress and sustainability coincide, there is global support for progress. This is particularly evident when it comes to e-mobility."

Zero-carbon emissions with electric cars?

Are electric vehicles the answer to reducing carbon dioxide emissions? Not totally. Electric cars still consume electricity as their fuel. To cut the carbon footprint to the minimum, it is important to choose the energy sources wisely. JB Straubel, co-founder of Tesla, argues that the goal is to link electric vehicles with renewable energy sources (such as wind or solar). "That is the ultimate way to have a zero carbon transportation system," claims Straubel.

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Sustainable transportation

A conversation with JB Straubel, co-founder of Tesla

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You may say I'm a dreamer…

Using sustainable energy to fuel global transportation may sound utopic, but it could be a big opportunity. "The energy revolution from fossil energy to renewable energy is probably one of the biggest business opportunities of this century," believes Straubel, "This is a chance to reinvent the entire infrastructure."

How far can we go?

Environmentally sustainable cars are just the starting point for electric mobility. With a growing network of ever better chargers as well as the increasing capacity of lithium-ion batteries, e‑mobility can flourish. There are already companies pursuing electric mass transportation including buses and even airplanes.

There is a global energy revolution ahead of us. The question remains: Who will lead it?

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