On a thursday afternoon I've done an interview with Mr. Peter Hofmann. He works in the environmental department in Zurich as project manager, his task is to check the environmental impact of vehicles.
When I asked him how realistic he thinks it is to have only electric cars in the city of Zurich, he said that this is a difficult question.
Today it is not possible to let no diesel vehicles or only electric vehicles into the city of Zurich, because there is no legal basis.
On the national and cantonal level as well as in the city of Zurich there are many efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is also in order to comply with the climate agreement of Paris. In order to achieve this, measures have to be taken, which can be quite specific, such as so-called low emission zones, as far as it is legally possible. There is still a lot to do to reach the goals and it is not easy but he is in a very positive mood. He sees the significance of electric cars in the city of Zurich as divided. On the one hand, he sees a continuous increase in the number of first redeemed electric vehicles, while on the other hand this figure is still in the single-digit percentage range. One reason for the rising numbers is most likely the good prices that are now prevailing.
During our conversation I also asked him about his city of the future.
He said that his city of the future is quite similar to the transport policy of the city of Zurich. This policy states that people will mainly travel to the city by public transport and will0 continue to use public transport or bicycles once they arrive in the city. This way the air is spared and the valuable space is not filled by private vehicles.
Basically he is of the opinion to use public transport as often as possible and if this is not possible, then a car with a small environmental impact.
When I asked what other points the transport policy contains, he said that there is a guideline with the following three points:
1. try to avoid traffic altogether and if possible to cover all shifts on foot.
2. use public transport such as bus and streetcar
3. use a clean vehicle
Another aspect of the city of Zurich is to make it easier to change to public transport or bicycle. For example, bicycle paths are to be extended or separate lanes for public transport are to be built.
At the end of our interview I wanted to know what his opinion on electric cars is and if he owns one himself.
Since he lives in the middle of the city, he does not need an own car. He often used his bicycle or public transport for longer distances. If he still needs to transport larger things, he uses the services of Mobility.
The knowledge he has about electro mobility he acquired himself during his own study at the beginning of this year. We have also received this study and will look at it in more detail. We have not been able to do this yet because the study is very extensive.
As far as electric vehicles are concerned, he is still split. The production of these cars, especially the battery, is a big thorn in his side. Because the many metals and materials used for the batteries have a big impact on the environment during extraction and production.
He also said that he thought that Zurich was using electric cars at the expense of East Asian countries.
In his last sentence he said that a small electric car powered by green electricity is a step in the right direction, but does not solve the problem completely.