In this DLD25 session, automobile industry leaders and scientists discuss the challenges and opportunities of sustainable mobility in the face of climate change. Andreas Urschitz of Infineon Technologies hosts a panel with political economist Maja Göpel, former automotive executive Herbert Diess and Prof. Markus Lienkamp, an e-mobility expert at Technical University Munich.
Herbert Diess takes a strong position on electric vehicles, calling them “the only viable solution which we know” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the mobility sector. “Mobility becomes cheaper, not more expensive”, he adds. “Mobility becomes emission-free and helps to serve the planet.”
He highlights tipping points, such as electric vehicles in China becoming cheaper than cars with combustion engines and says e-fuels cannot be the solution, due to their inefficiency and high cost. Diess also emphasizes the potential of electric car batteries to serve as energy storage, enabling smarter use of renewable energy: “Why not use this battery, which is in the garage, as a storage to shift sun energy, which is basically for free, and put it back into the networks in the afternoon?”
Markus Lienkamp agrees on the importance of electric mobility but stresses that other factors need to be considered, too, such as the popularity of large SUVs. “We need smaller cars” and systems like car sharing to maximize sustainability, he explains, urging a comprehensive approach that includes production emissions and political incentives to buy EVs.
Maja Göpel goes one step further by challenging the premise of car-centered mobility: “If we’re only going to follow the path of having an automobile-focused mobility system”, society won’t be able to achieve sustainability, she argues and advocates rethinking mobility from the ground up.
“When you start to innovate, ideally you go back three steps and think about: what is the final purpose?”, Göpel says, pointing to the “15-minute city” concept in Paris as an example of reframing mobility challenges with positive visions rather than focusing on restrictions.
Watch the video to go deeper, find out about Germany’s unique cultural and economic barriers to transformation, and hear why the panelists remain cautiously optimistic about the future of sustainable mobility.
