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Rethinking mobility: the path to a climate-friendly transport transition

Mobility shapes our lives, our cities, and rural areas. The way we get around is also one of the biggest causes of CO₂ emissions. 

We urgently need to consider this in the energy transition. The mobility transition is a fundamental key to a clean and more sustainable future—and we too are supporting this change with intelligent solutions for more sustainable mobility. 

Focus on electric mobility

Electric mobility is central to this mobility transition, but purely electric cars account for only 2.1% of the passenger car fleet in Germany (as of early 2023) [2]. Despite record registrations in 2023 and an efficiency advantage over other drive systems – 73% efficiency for electric cars compared to 22% for hydrogen and only 13% for e-fuels [3] – the market was slowed down in 2024 by the end of the environmental bonus. The necessary transformation can only succeed with a practical charging infrastructure and attractive incentives for switching to electric vehicles [4].

Electric mobility not only offers innovative driving experiences without local emissions, but also additional potential to become a fundamental component of a local energy management system. Simply shifting charging processes to times when there is plenty of renewable energy available brings major advantages in terms of cost and emission reduction. It becomes even more exciting when energy can be discharged from the vehicle battery.  In Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), the vehicle battery acts as a home storage unit. The Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) principle enables specially equipped electric vehicles to feed surplus energy from the vehicle battery directly into the grid, thus contributing to the stability of the power supply. In practice, however, V2G still poses a challenge: the technology has only recently become available and is cost-intensive, and there is a lack of clear framework conditions for the use and remuneration of energy fed into the grid from the vehicle. Research into the further development and future use of this technology is in full swing worldwide.

The challenges of the mobility transition

The mobility transition is a mammoth task. Although the number of electric vehicles worldwide is increasing—around 14.5 million electric cars were delivered globally in 2023 [5]—we still face challenges: public charging infrastructure, charging speeds, and charging costs must be optimized to make electric mobility suitable for the masses. Currently, there are around 22 electric cars per public charging point in Germany [1]. To achieve the target of 1 million public charging points by 2030, around 2,000 new charging points would have to be added every week [1].

But this is precisely where the enormous potential lies. With the right technology, we can radically change the way we travel—toward emission-free and sustainable mobility.

Practical example: unIT-e² – real-world laboratory for networked e-mobility

The research project unIT-e² shows what is needed for a genuine mobility revolution. Together with 28 partners, it investigated how electric mobility can be optimally integrated into the power grid. Four field trials have been carried out as part of this project, focusing on the user-friendly and interoperable implementation of sustainable solutions along the entire energy industry value chain and aiming to harmonize the requirements of customers and the power grid.

Consolinno's Leaflet HEMS was an integral part of various field trials: In the sun-E cluster, in addition to established use cases such as PV self-consumption optimization and grid operator intervention in accordance with EnWG § 14a, it was demonstrated that HEMS can provide primary control power with electric vehicles and thus contribute to system stability. In the Cit-E-Life cluster, it was demonstrated that the distribution network operator can access the flexibilities directly from its network management system – an exciting solution, especially for other European countries, because it eliminates dependencies on the metering infrastructure.

Consolinno was also involved in designing KOALA, an incentive-based mechanism for coordinating network-oriented tax processes.

FfE (2024): DunIT-e² KOALA – Afor coordinating network-oriented control processes

Funding code: 01MV21UN05

Consolinno Energy: Partner for the mobility transition

At Consolinno, we are convinced that the energy transition can only succeed in conjunction with the mobility transition. Our Home Energy Management System Leaflet HEMS supports users in this endeavor and, among other things, charges electric vehicles specifically with inexpensive solar power. The optional LaMa charging management system efficiently distributes the available energy to several charging points at the same time in order to avoid peak loads at the grid connection point and reduce the overall costs of electromobility. Our goal is clear: a world in which individual mobility and energy go hand in hand – emission-free, connected, and efficient. Together, we are shaping the future of personal mobility for a sustainable and livable world.