Revista de investigación y aplicaciones de la física

Towards a Decarbonized Individual Mobility - Challenges and Solutions

Alfred Rufer

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles contribute significantly to the global warming through their immense quantity of CO₂ emissions and are on the way to be replaced by zero emission alternative solutions. Several replacement techniques with scientifically sound performances are proposed for the propulsion equipment including the related supply chains from renewable sources, but they often cannot fulfill the huge demand quantitatively. The paper discusses the quantitative aspects of the real demand with the example of the actual automotive park in Switzerland and analyses different alternatives like conventional EV’s, fuel-cell vehicles or energetic chains based on sustainable fuels like e-methanol or synthetic solar fuels. The analysis comprises energy efficiency considerations.