Review of Speaker Series #3 - Sustainable & Circular - Buzzwords or a serious goal of the automotive industry? (July 22)

In the inspiring atmosphere of the pop-up event location MUCBOOK CLUBHOUSE Franzi in Munich's Bahnhofsviertel, around 70 guests gathered on July 7, 2022 for the third edition of the Speaker Series "The future of mobility". The focus was on the question: "Sustainable & circular - buzzwords or a serious goal for the automotive industry?"

The event offered exciting impulses from two top-class experts:

• Dr. Irene Feige, Head of Climate Strategy and Circular Economy at BMW,
• Prof. Markus Lienkamp, mobility expert and Chair of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Munich.

Sustainability along the entire value chain

Dr. Irene Feige gave an in-depth insight into BMW's strategic realignment towards sustainability. The aim is to reduce CO₂ emissions across the entire value chain by 60 % by 2030 - BMW is aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. These ambitious goals were confirmed with the signing of the "Business Ambition for 1.5°C" of the Science Based Targets Initiative officially sealed.

Specific examples were used to illustrate how serious BMW is about this transformation:

• Leather in the interior fittings is to be replaced by more sustainable alternatives.
• Steel is used in its untreated, lower-emission raw state wherever possible.
• Battery raw materials such as nickel, lithium and cobalt are recycled in order to conserve resources.
  BMW also works closely with its suppliers and regularly reviews environmental and social standards. Violations may result in exclusion from the supplier pool.

Rethinking mobility: Avoid. Relocate. Improve.

Prof. Markus Lienkamp shed light on the future of mobility from a scientific perspective - and presented the ecological and economic added value of Electric vehicles in the sharing model to the fore. His core idea:
"Avoid. Relocate. Improve."

A concrete example: Public transportation make a significant contribution to reducing emissions when operating at high capacity.
Lienkamp also showed in a comparison of drive types that Electromobility significantly more climate-friendly with the right range than conventional combustion engines. Only by consistently rethinking mobility can we achieve the climate targets that have been set.

Discussion round: Questions from the audience

In the subsequent Q&A session, the guests showed great interest in the practical implementation of sustainable mobility strategies. Two particularly interesting questions were discussed:

• Sustainability in production at BMW?
  Yes, BMW is currently planning a completely climate-neutral plant that will produce without CO₂ emissions.
• Could old gasoline cars be converted to e-cars?
  A charming idea, according to Prof. Lienkamp - but technically hardly feasible. The space required and the weight of the batteries make a simple conversion impossible.

We would like to thank Dr. Irene Feige and Prof. Markus Lienkamp for their inspiring contributions and exciting insights into the future of mobility.
A big thank you also goes to our host Fabienne Fuss for the great organization and the atmospheric location.