Head of Production: As the proportion of electrified people increases, CO2 emissions are increasingly shifting to the manufacturing phase.
The Audi plants in Brussels and Györ in Hungary are already producing CO2-neutrally – now the car manufacturer wants to follow suit in the main plant in Ingolstadt, in Neckarsulm and in the plant in San José Chiapa in Mexico. “By 2025, all Audi production sites are to produce carbon-neutral production,” the VW subsidiary announced on Monday.
So far, a large part of a car's emissions is generated while driving. “But with the increasing proportion of electrified cars, this is increasingly shifting to the manufacturing phase,” said Production Director Peter Kössler, referring to the high CO2 emissions involved in manufacturing the batteries. “By making our production sites CO2-neutral and consistently incorporating this claim into the supply chain, we ensure that our cars arrive at the customer with a lower CO2 backpack.” By 2025, Audi aims to reduce the car's CO2 emissions over its entire life cycle by 30 percent compared to 2015.
In Ingolstadt today, 70 percent, in Neckarsulm and Mexico 75 percent climate-neutral, said Audi environmental protection officer Rüdiger Recknagel. At the Brussels plant, Audi achieved a completely climate-neutral production with solar systems, biogas and compensation certificates. The largest solar roof in Europe stands on the factory in Györ, generating 9.5 gigawatt hours of electricity annually. In addition, geothermal energy is used extensively for heating, said Peter Elias, environmental officer at the plant. But geothermal energy does not work in Ingolstadt – the goal there should be achieved with wood and a biomass power plant.
In the supply chain, Audi and its suppliers have identified potential savings of 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per car, which should be increased by 2025, said purchasing manager Johanna Klewitz. Green electricity must be used to manufacture the battery cell. All scraps of the aluminum, which is important for lightweight construction, but very energy-intensive in production, would be recycled.
