BMW’S Commitment To Renewable Energy And How It Is Becoming Emission Free- A Potential Use Case For The Energy Web Chain Blockchain Platform ? HSV GTS Follow Apr 6 · 6 min read

BMW’s commitment to renewable energy

The above photo shows the commitment of the BMW Group to reach the goal to purchase electricity worldwide exclusively from renewable energy sources from 2020 onwards.

It will improve the environmental performance of the company and match stakeholder’s expectations of supporting sustainable energy production.

This initiative is consistent with the BMW Group’s commitment to producing vehicles with the lowest emissions possible.

This is not the first time the BMW Group has made a pledge of sustainability. Since 2016 their site in Austria has run on 100 per cent green electricity.

In the meantime they already achieved that the electricity purchased for all plants in Germany and the UK comes exclusively from renewable sources meaning that all production sites in Europe purchase exclusively green electricity.

The BMW Group prioritise producing their own renewable energy, however if this is not possible due to prevailing technical and economic conditions they also purchase renewable electricity from local sources.

To support the use of renewable energy in the BMW Group’s supply chain and as part of the Supply Chain Programme of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) where they have asked their suppliers to provide information on carbon dioxide emissions and reach agreements with them on increasing the share of renewable energy.

Together with Viessman, the BMW Group has created the Digital Energy Solutions to offer customers a head start and to generate a competitive edge based on efficient energy management, sustainable solutions and smart user concepts. Further information can be found here.

Environmentally-friendly use of energy plays a key part in the BMW Group’s vision of the future.

The impact of climate change will be noticeable and people and nations will commit to use environmental resources responsibly.

The BMW Group assumes a part of this global responsibility and is aware of the role it has to play. The shift from automobiles with combustion engines to electric vehicles powered by energy from renewable sources is an important step, but not the only one since a vehicle’s ecological footprint must be considered throughout the entire lifecycle and not just the usage phase, it is therefore crucial to develop concepts that are efficient throughout the entire value chain.

BMW i symbolises precisely this holistic approach with vehicles that are purpose built for electro-mobility utilising renewable energies in production and conserving resources by using renewable raw materials.

But this is just the beginning, the long-term goal is to create a neutral cycle, from procurement of materials through to production, usage and recycling.

This is something the company is working on every day. The BMW Group’s vision is to build environmentally-compatible vehicles with renewable energies.

Renewables

By 2020 the BMW Group will source 100% of its electricity from renewables.

Clean Hydroelectricity

Moses Lake, USA produce 100% environmentally friendly carbon fibre for BMW i.

Natural Biomasse

Plant Rosslyn, Republic of South Africa. Electricity generated by biomass covers around 30% of the energy needs.

Consistent Electrification

We already offer a broad range of plug-in-hybrids which will be further expanded in the future.

Electrified Maxi Scooter

2012: The worlds first fully electrically-powered premium maxi scooter.

Reducing Energy Needs

By 2020, we will reduce the energy used to produce each vehicle by 45% compared with 2006.

Reducing Emission

The BMW group develops vehicles with ever decreasing emissions, therefore helping to protect the environment.

Since 1990 we have reduced the emissions of our European fleet by over 40%.

Natural Methane Gas

Plant Spartanburg, USA uses methane gas to save 92,000 tonnes of C02 annually.

Responsible use of Materials

95% of each vehicle can be recycled today.

Less than 4 kg of waste is produced during production per vehicle.

Renewable Materials

Kenaf fibres, new wool, eucalyptus wood and naturally tanned leather are used in our electric vehicles.

BMW’s first fully electric SUV

The BMW Group is pursuing a clear sustainability strategy with ten ambitious goals by 2020

At the BMW Group we have a consistent approach across the company, we deliver on our promises.

The same applies to the topic of sustainability. While others talk, we set actions into motion.

Bold visions and distant targets are fine and good because they provide orientation. However, what really matters is that we make an effective contribution to environmental and climate protection here and now because the only way to realise grand visions like that of a climate-neutral Europe in 2050 is by implementing concrete measures today.

Sustainability is not just a trend for us. It is a call to action

For us it’s about thinking and acting beyond today for tomorrow.

This can be seen in our Sustainable Value Report 2019. We have already fulfilled almost all the sustainability targets that we set in 2012 for 2020 or are in the final stretch towards achieving them.

Our road to sustainable mobility, we plan to meet Europe’s CO2 requirements for 2020 and 2021

A major focus of our sustainability strategy is lowering CO2 emissions.

In recent years we have steadily reduced the CO2 emissions of our vehicle fleet and achieved a decrease of around 40 per cent between 1990 and 2019.

In 2020 we will once again lower our carbon emissions in Europe significantly with a decrease of around 20 per cent from the previous year.

This means we plan to meet Europe’s ambitious CO2 targets for 2020 and 2021.

One factor in achieving this is to inspire more customers to drive electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. This accounts for about two-thirds of the reduction. The remaining third will come from further efficiency measures for our conventional engines.

We have a clear e-mobility roadmap

A quarter of the vehicles we sell in Europe should be electrified by 2021, a third in 2025 and half in 2030.

In 2019 we delivered more than 146,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to customers worldwide.

That means we now have a total of more than half a million electrified vehicles on the roads across the globe.

across the globe. However, it is also clear that people all over the world will continue to buy vehicles with a conventional engine. For many people worldwide, it is still the best choice for their individual mobility needs.

It is precisely because we take climate protection so seriously that we have taken Efficient Dynamics to the next level by making our conventional engines systematically even more accomplished.

Effective climate protection cannot be achieved with bans

We will continue to offer our customers a wide range of drive technologies where they can choose between different drive trains in all relevant vehicle segments according to their mobility needs and desires.

This gives our customers the “Power of Choice”.

From production to recycling: we take a holistic approach

Our understanding of sustainability is not limited to reducing the emissions of our vehicle fleet.

Our sights are focused on the entire value chain. In our supply chain we have created a high level of transparency. Moreover, our suppliers must commit to the BMW Group’s high sustainability standards.

We support them, for instance, by sourcing cobalt and lithium directly and making it available to our partners, starting in 2020.

The BMW Group is driving active environmental protection