More about the “eMovement” festival
Nevertheless, some time ago, representatives of the automobile industry undertook radical changes in the entire production chain, so that the impact of their activities on the environment would become neutral in the long run.
Mindaugas Plukys, communication coordinator of Renault and Dacia in the Baltics, presented the challenges facing manufacturers, the Renault Group’s sustainable development strategy and the direction of secondary use and recycling of batteries at the “Future Drive Forum 2024: City Transformations” event for “Ignitis ON” partners last week. countries.
An electric car is much “greener”
40 billion tons – approximately the amount of CO 2 responsible for climate warming was released into the environment worldwide in 2023. According to the International Energy Agency, for almost a quarter (23%)
the responsibility for all emissions should be borne by the transport sector.
For a long time, the black cloud hanging over the car industry due to the huge impact on the planet has prompted manufacturers to make changes. This was one of the main reasons behind the electrification of the transport sector.
Photo by I.Gelūnas/M.Plukys, event “Future Drive Forum 2024: City Transformations”
But it was a mistake to think that it would be enough for electric cars to gradually replace conventional cars with internal combustion engines and the problem would be solved. Especially considering that at least production
in the process, the impact of an electric car on the environment is still greater.
According to the calculations of the Renault Group, the production of the Megane E-Tech electric electric car emits up to 6.9 tons of CO 2 into the environment, at that time the usual gasoline Megane – about 3.8, and the diesel – 4.2 tons. True, too
throughout its life cycle, according to the manufacturer’s data, the gasoline-powered model emits 44, and the diesel – 38 tons of CO 2 into the environment.
In turn, the electric Megane E-Tech electric is only 22
tone. Thus, the difference in emissions in favor of an electric car can reach as much as 50 percent.
We undertook radical changes
Although the lower impact of electric cars on the environment is obvious, the big car manufacturers realized some time ago that, in order to save the planet, progress must be much faster. It encouraged
to look even more closely at our activities and look for additional opportunities to reduce CO 2 emissions in other areas.
Here is the French automotive industry giant Renault Group as early as 2022. announced the creation of a new company dedicated to the development of the circular economy. An entity called The Future is Neutral
combined the existing industry and technology expertise and assets of the group and its partners into a single entity operating across the entire automotive circular economy value chain.
“At the same time, as pioneers in decarbonized mobility, we have embarked on an ambitious action plan to reduce the carbon footprint of our vehicles.” Ours
the strategy covers the entire life cycle of the vehicle: its design, the selection of the necessary materials, the manufacturing process, the use of the vehicle and the end of operation.
We are already seeing that this strategy is effective and producing tangible results. Therefore, we do not doubt our ability to achieve the two main goals of the entire group: zero CO 2 emissions in Europe by
2040s, until 2050 all over the world,” says Mindaugas Plukys, Renault’s public relations and communication coordinator in the Baltic countries.
Environmentally friendly design and sustainable production
Shifting its operational trajectory towards sustainability, Renault Group has for several years been prioritizing materials that emit less, from the vehicle design stage
of greenhouse gases, including recycled materials with a lower carbon footprint than virgin materials.
“We also work with our suppliers to promote the use of recycled and bio-based materials, energy conservation and the use of renewable energy in their production.” For example,
the new Scenic E-Tech Electric is made from 24% recycled materials with the help of the circular economy. In addition, we have set a goal by 2030. increase this amount to 33 in new cars
percent”, – teaches M. Plukys.
He adds that although the car manufacturing process itself accounts for only 1 percent. For the Renault Group’s carbon footprint, this milestone is another significant lever for action. In order to limit CO₂ emissions,
the group primarily relies on green energy and energy efficiency in its factories.
“To decarbonize our operations, we reduced the size of the workshop and installed monitoring software to optimize electricity, gas and water consumption. We also develop green
energy projects. For example, the geothermal and environmentally friendly heating system installed in our factory in Douai, France can meet 70% of the demand. of all needs”, says M. Plukys.
Continues its responsible mission
However, one of the greatest priorities of the Renault Group is to reduce the CO 2 footprint during the use of cars. It can be recalled here that in the 2010s, the Renault brand was electric mobility
pioneer, and today he responsibly continues this role.
The Renault Group currently has 13 electrified models in its range. The company has made this a key strategic focus with the launch of Ampere, an electric mobility company that brings together
the group’s electric motor and car production sites. The Renault Group also supports the mobility market by installing charging stations and charging services at its dealerships, as well as at home and workplaces.
The company is constantly looking for other alternative energy sources, especially in the field of hydrogen, for large commercial vehicles such as the Renault Master. A subsidiary was established for this purpose
company Hyvia. Finally, the development of car sharing, a segment in which Renault Group is positioning its Mobilize brand, also helps to reduce the carbon footprint of mobility
effect.
End of life cycle
The recycling of end-of-life vehicles is another highly responsible moment in the entire Renault Group chain. According to M. Plukis, the strategy is carefully considered and implemented
today already allows the production of new, more sustainable vehicles, reducing their impact on the environment.
“The recycling cycle of various materials, such as copper, plastic, steel and aluminum, created and developed by us allows them to be included again in the production of new cars. Nevertheless, we intend to
to further accelerate its efforts in this area, especially with regard to electric car batteries.
We have set a target of 2030. in the production of new batteries, about 80 percent are reused. nickel, cobalt, lithium from already recycled batteries”, the PR and communication coordinator of Renault in the Baltic states presents the ambitious goals.
#save #planet #switching #electric #cars #manufacturers #ambitious #plans #Business
2024-08-30 23:20:33
