Bill Gates has spoken out in favour of alternative fuels, which Porsche, among others, is also researching. Especially for larger vehicles and other means of transport such as ships and aeroplanes, he says, the battery-powered way is wrong.
In Baden-Württemberg, a truck toll is soon to be introduced for rural and municipal roads in order to be able to finance road maintenance. In the Netherlands, the toll has just been postponed again. Its profits should largely be invested in the sustainability of freight transport.
According to measurements, FiatChrysler and VW motorhomes exceed the permitted exhaust emission limits many times over. Once again, politicians just stand by and do nothing.
The electric car seems ready neither for the road nor for the race track. At this weekend's Formula E chaos race, 15 cars ran out of power on the last lap. They had to cross the finish line at walking speed.
A good two-thirds of citizens in Europe would like to see the end of petrol and diesel cars. Environmental zones and the e-car boom seem to be causing a change in thinking, with more and more people wanting to live in clean and quiet cities with green spaces and car-free zones.
Abrasion from tyres, brakes and the road creates a lot of microplastics. This not only accumulates in soil and water, but is also released into the air, where it is absorbed by humans through the respiratory tract. So in addition to particulate matter, microplastics must also be regulated as quickly as possible. Could there soon be environmental zones to combat the small plastic particles?
The future belongs to the train. It has the best CO2 balance. But the aeroplane is no longer as polluting as we thought. In fact, the car is in last place.
Hydrogen vehicles are popular in California. At the filling stations, however, this leads to waiting times of about 45 minutes. Similar to the situation with e-cars in Europe, the infrastructure is not keeping up and is slowing down the mobility turnaround.
Strict emission tests for diesel vehicles in Germany will be postponed for two years. Actually, the new measurement procedures were announced for 2021. The German Environmental Aid criticises that the Ministry of Transport is doing too little against dirty diesels on the roads to protect the car industry.
Microplastics and fine dust are released into the environment in large quantities through the abrasion of tyres and thus enter soils and water bodies. The effects of microplastics on local ecosystems are still poorly understood. Experts are calling for better collection technology and stricter traffic concepts to reduce environmental pollution.
