Energy supply

All 600 of Mobility’s electric vehicles are powered by green electricity. Whilst Mobility can guarantee this, the cooperative cannot control what comes out of the socket. So how does it work?

The Thai have a handy saying: “same same but different”, which means exactly the same, but just a little bit different. Green electricity is not the same as other types of electricity; however, it is ultimately also energy.

Some 600 of the approximately 3’000 Mobility cars are powered with electricity. All 600 electric vehicles use green electricity. But let us start at the source. Alain Brunner, media spokesman for ewl energie wasser luzern, explains: “Electricity comes from various sources, for example hydropower or solar – together into a multi-branch supply network, similar to water in a river”. Once it reaches the supply network, this flow of electricity from different sources can no longer be separated and broken down into individual qualities. All electricity that comes out of a socket is the same: it does not matter to the devices using it where it originally came from. The same goes for electric charging stations. Electricity is electricity.

At the same time, all energy providers know in absolute terms how much electricity is generated by hydropower, how much from wind power, how much comes from abroad and so on. And since there are no giant batteries – apart from the water reserves in the reservoirs – the electricity required has to be produced and supplied in real time, so to speak. The calculations always have to add up. Same same but different.

Conscious purchasing promotes renewables

For Mobility, this means that the amount and quality of the green electricity ordered by Mobility is what is supplied. Thanks to this conscious method of purchasing electricity, Mobility can also decide how the electricity is produced. In other words, the more green electricity purchased, the more is invested in new systems like solar, biomass, hydro and wind systems. Procuring sustainable electricity therefore helps finance the construction of new systems, whilst funds in aid of environmental improvement measures for hydropower stations are also bolstered.

Offsetting through certificates

Even though Mobility electric cars are charged all across Switzerland, it is ewl that guarantees that all of them are powered by green electricity. So how does it work? The explanation: wherever possible, Mobility only procures green energy to run its electric vehicles. Many electricity companies now offer sustainable energy as standard. However, there are Mobility stations that are supplied by charging stations where Mobility has no influence on the quality of the electricity. For this reason, the car-sharing company buys additional electricity certificates for green electricity from ewl, and does so in quantities that guarantee the electric fleet is operated completely by green power. This solution works. Yet, longer term, the cooperative’s aim is to supply all charging columns exclusively with green electricity. Certificates would then no longer be needed.