Germany's road transport remains reliant on fossil fuels

Road transport in Germany remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, according to data released by the country's Federal Statistical Office on Friday.

The official figures show consumption in 2024 was largely stable compared with previous years and was 11% below the peak recorded in 2019.

However, road transport was still responsible for more than a fifth (22.2%) of Germany's energy consumption and for a similar proportion (21.4%) of CO₂ emissions that year. 

This corresponded to energy consumption of around 2,134 petajoules and CO₂ emissions of 155 million tons. 

The statistics authority says its figures differ slightly from those of the Federal Environment Agency because a different statistical approach was adopted.

Despite the growth in electric mobility, conventional fuels continued to dominate road transport. Diesel, including biodiesel blends, accounted for 60.8% of consumption, while petrol and bioethanol accounted for 37.2%.

Electricity and gaseous fuels each accounted for 1.0%. However, electricity consumption in road transport rose in 2024 by 32% compared with the previous year. 

This reflects the increasing number of electric cars, sales of which continued to rise last year. According to the data, private households account for 58% of energy consumption, while the business sector accounted for 42%.