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last mo.

Road Transport Accounts for a Fifth of Germany’s Energy Use and CO2 Emissions

Growing electricity use points to early electrification that has not yet shifted the overall fuel mix.

Im Straßenverkehr in Deutschland dominieren nach wie vor Diesel- und Benzinmotoren. Das zeigen aktuelle Zahlen des Statistischen Bundesamts.
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Overview

  • The Federal Statistical Office reported on Friday that road transport provided 22.2% of Germany’s final energy use in 2024 and caused 155 million tonnes of CO2, about 21.4% of national emissions.
  • Total road energy use in 2024 was roughly 2,134 petajoules, a level that has been stable since 2021 and sits 11.0% below the 2019 peak.
  • Diesel and petrol remained dominant, supplying about 60.8% and 37.2% of road energy respectively, while electricity and gaseous fuels each made up around 1.0% of the sector’s energy.
  • Electricity use for road vehicles rose sharply in 2024, increasing 32% year‑on‑year and about 278% since 2021, but it still represents a very small share of total road energy.
  • Air pollutants from road traffic fell much more than CO2 from 2010 to 2024, with CO down 38.2%, NOx down 61.2%, and PM10 down 34.8%, reflecting cleaner engines and emissions rules even as the fleet remains fossil-fuel heavy.