The introduction of battery electric vehicles on the global market has triggered a sustained upheaval in the automotive industry. In this process, the new properties of a battery-electric powertrain lead to a different set of central requirements, such as increasing the range, lifetime or the fast-charging capability of the vehicle battery. This paper develops a bottom-up systematic model to assess the current and future impact of different battery technologies on vehicle costs. For this purpose, it summarises the scientific findings of automotive battery cell chemistries and, flanked by novel expert interviews and teardown data, derives key values for them. Based on the data obtained, modelling is carried out to demonstrate the technical and economic suitability of the identified cell chemistries and their impact on the range and total cost of electric vehicles. Lithium iron phosphate batteries appear to be able to achieve a price saving of up to 21% in the small vehicle segment compared to nickel-rich cell chemistries, provided that customers are prepared to accept a reduced range. At the same time, further efficiency improvements of the powertrain lead us to expect that, in combination with future high-energy cells, ranges of more than 800 km can be achieved even in the mid-size vehicle segment. It turns out that depending on whether the focus of the vehicle is on cost, range or performance, different battery technologies are likely to be used in the future.

This paper summarizes the findings of a detailed assessment of synthetic, electricity-based fuels for use in aviation, shipping, and road transport. The fuels considered correspond to the most promising alternatives that were analyzed as part of the German research project BEniVer (Begleitforschung Energiewende im Verkehr—Accompanying Research for the Energy Transition in Transport) initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Focusing on usage, infrastructure, and ecological analyses, several e-fuels were evaluated and compared to fossil fuels according to the specific sector. It turns out that for all sectors evaluated, the existing sustainable synthetic fuels are already compatible with current technology and regulations. In shipping and road transport, the use of advanced, sustainable fuels will allow for a more distinct reduction in emissions once technology and regulations are adopted. However, standard-compliant synthetic gasoline and diesel are considered the most promising fuels for use in road transport if the transition to electricity is not realized as quickly as planned. For the aviation sector, the number of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) is limited. Here, the current aim is the introduction of a 100% SAF as soon as possible to also tackle non-CO₂ emissions.

The energy consumption of passenger vehicles is affected by the physical properties of the environment. The ambient temperature in particular has a significant impact on the operating energy consumption. To quantify the impact of a changed climate on vehicles with different drivetrain systems, we set up a model that calculates the change in energy demand with respect to multiple global warming levels. In particular, the effect of rising temperatures on the energy consumption of battery electric vehicles and vehicles with internal combustion engines was investigated. Our results indicate that climate change will likely lead to a rise in energy consumption of vehicles with an internal combustion engine. This is mostly due to the increase in cabin climatization needs caused by the higher ambient temperatures. At a global warming level (GWL) of 4.0 °C, the calculated annual energy consumption on average is 2.1% higher than without taking the climate-change-related changes in temperature into account. Battery electric vehicles, on the other hand, are expected to have a lower overall energy consumption (up to −2.4% at 4 °C GWL) in cold and moderate climate zones. They benefit from the lower heating needs during winter caused by global warming.