Sustainable mobility in Schleswig-Holstein

20.06.2023 - Schleswig-Holstein is focussing on electromobility. This is demonstrated by the steadily increasing number of registered electric cars and charging stations. But in addition to the increase in emission-free individual means of transport, there are other interesting projects, including in local public transport, that clearly demonstrate this commitment. We show a selection of the innovative mobility solutions in our federal state.

Schleswig-Holstein is a frontrunner when it comes to electromobility - at least in the state comparison statistics for new registrations of electric vehicles. In April 2023, the northernmost federal state was at the top of the list. The proportion of battery electric drives and plug-in hybrids among total registrations was 26.05 per cent, putting SH ahead of Rhineland-Palatinate (25.58 per cent) and Baden-Württemberg (25.27 per cent)*. The number of publicly accessible charging points has also increased steadily in recent times. While there were 26 in 2015, 3,243 charging points were counted in March 2023, 569 of which were fast charging points**.

But it's not just in private transport, there has also been a lot of movement in the transport transition in local public transport - even on the water.

Across the fjord on the electric ferry

Everyone knows the distinctive chugging of the diesel engine of ferries, dozens of which are used in Schleswig-Holstein for travelling across rivers, lakes, from one island to another or even crossing bays and fjords. On the Schwentine line F2, which runs from the east to the west bank of the Kiel Fjord, the chugging has been transformed into the calming hum of an electric motor. For two years now, the "MS Düsternbrook" of the Kiel Tug and Ferry Company (SFK) has been setting new standards in ferry shipping with its drive technology. The two Baumüller traction motors installed on the high-tech ship are powered exclusively by rechargeable batteries. SFK has set up the charging infrastructure required to charge the ship at the Kiel railway bridge and Dietrichsdorf ferry berths. With fully charged batteries, the "MS Düsternbrook" can run for around ten hours on scheduled services, carry up to 140 passengers and transport 60 bicycles. This is ideal for students at the university of applied sciences, for example, who can commute back and forth every half hour on weekdays. "For SFK, the 'MS Düsternbrook' marks the beginning of a new era for our fleet," said Andreas Schulz, Managing Director of SFK, at the ship's christening in 2021. And Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer confirmed that the state capital is taking another step towards climate neutrality with the "MS Düsternbrook": "It is an important building block in making the port of Kiel more environmentally friendly. With the new ship, SFK is continuing its drive to build ships with climate-friendly propulsion. Further steps will follow." In 2022, the "MS Wellingdorf" was put into service, which alternates with its sister ship "MS Düsternbrook" on the Schwentine Line F2. And at the beginning of 2023, the keel was laid at Holland Shipyards for the third electric ferry, which will sail on the Kiel Fjord and is due to be delivered this summer.

The "Missunde III" is also due to go into operation in summer 2023 - not in Kiel, however, but on the Schlei. Equipped with batteries and solar cells, the ferry will connect Kosel and Brodersby and will be quieter, emission-free, but significantly larger and more powerful than the "Missunde II". At around 50 tonnes, the new ferry can transport more than twice the load of its predecessor.

Kiel bus fleet under power

From the Schlei back to Kiel and from the water to the road, as the bus fleet in Kiel is currently being electrified. As Schleswig-Holstein's Climate Protection Minister Tobias Goldschmidt put it, well-developed and electrified local public transport is a central piece of the puzzle for the mobility transition and brings a double climate dividend. "This is because it can save_CO2 and motivate people to switch to buses and trains. With funding measures like those here in Kiel, we are paving the way for climate-neutral local transport in Schleswig-Holstein," said Goldschmidt when he visited Kiel's Ostufer in February 2023 to find out about the ongoing electrification of bus operations at Kieler Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (KVG). There are now 67 electric buses on Kiel's roads and seven terminal stops have been electrified with appropriate charging facilities. By mid-2023, the all-electric battery buses will be in operation on the city centre routes 6, 9, 11, 14, 22, 31, 32, 34, 42, 43, 45, 51, 52, 60S, 61, 71, 81 and 91 , and all vehicles are to be replaced by zero-emission models by 2030. The green electricity for bus operations comes 100 per cent from hydropower.

The electrified motorway

In addition to local public transport, road freight transport is a mobility sector in which huge_{CO2 emissions} must be avoided. To get closer to this goal, the A1 federal motorway in Schleswig-Holstein is the scene of a pioneering field test: the eHighway. This innovative project aims to electrify freight transport on the motorway and thus make an important contribution to the development of sustainable transport solutions.

The eHighway uses an innovative technology in which electrically powered lorries are equipped with pantographs, similar to an electric tram. Overhead lines are installed on selected sections of the A1 motorway to supply the lorries with electrical energy. In this way, batteries can be charged while the lorries are on the road to bridge unused stretches. The eHighway Schleswig-Holstein (FESH) field trial is a pilot project for these electrically powered overhead line lorries. An overhead line system was installed on a five-kilometre test route on the A1 motorway between Reinfeld and Lübeck. Reinfelder Spedition Bode and other companies have been travelling this route in daily commuter operations since 2020 to test its suitability for everyday use. Various research institutions such as Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences and the Technical University of Dresden are accompanying this practical operation with scientific studies. The aim of the field trial is to evaluate this system technically, ecologically, economically and from a transport perspective in order to provide politicians with a basis for making decisions on a possible expansion. The project was initially scheduled to run until the end of 2022. However, those involved believe that the results so far have been so successful that a continuation until the end of 2024 is now planned. Those responsible are even discussing integrating the northern German port locations of Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen in order to connect them with each other via the eHighway.