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.
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.
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.
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.
French people who trade in their combustion engine for an electric bicycle will in future receive €2,500 from the state. This is not intended to make vehicles greener in the transport transition, but to reduce their overall number. A similar push in Germany fell on deaf ears from politicians.
By 2025, there should be one million charging points for electric cars in Europe. This is the only way to ensure the targeted nationwide coverage for e-cars when travelling across the continent. The EU Court of Auditors sees this goal in jeopardy.
After the new Euro 7 standard was already seen as the de facto end of the internal combustion engine, it could now be made much more industry-friendly after all. Current measurements by the ADAC also give the car industry reason to rejoice. Due to the tightening of regulations in the European environmental zones, it is nevertheless likely that the internal combustion engine will be phased out in the foreseeable future.
After the zero-emission zone for the city of Berlin recently suffered a bitter setback because it is against the law according to expert opinions, the Berliners now want to tackle the problem on water instead. The capital's largest lake is to become an environmental zone and only allow hybrid and electric boats from 2025. The criticism is fierce.
Climate protectionists are reluctant to travel by car. Instead, they rely on travelling by rail: "Travelling by train is environmental protection" is Deutsche Bahn's self-imposed image. But diesel locomotives and nuclear power paint a different picture of the railway.
