![[Translate to English:] Abgebildet ist ein Tankdeckel von einem Wasserstoffauto.](https://www.business.ruhr/fileadmin/_processed_/4/9/csm_Wasserstoffauto_f%C3%BCr_umweltfreundliche_Mobilit%C3%A4t_im_Ruhrgebiet_17b1866b49.jpg)
The Metropole Ruhr sets the pace for environmentally friendly mobility
Its activities form the second-largest submarket of the environmental economy in North Rhine-Westphalia; one fifth of all gainfully employed persons work in it: around 118,000. More than 36,000 of them work in the Metropole Ruhr. Overall, this submarket generated gross value added of 6.6 billion euros in 2020.
Almost a third of this was generated in the Ruhr region. These are key figures from the Environmental Economy Report 2022. of the state. The dynamics are enormous: In absolute terms, no other submarket has grown as strongly as the mobility sector.
More electric cars and systems that intelligently manage traffic
Traffic is increasing continuously. More and more people and goods are traveling by road, rail, water and air. The result is more greenhouse gases, pollutants, noise and used-up land. In the Metropole Ruhr, with its tightly meshed infrastructure, experts are intensively searching for answers to the pressing traffic issues.
How can the range of electric vehicles be increased? What can make charging processes better? But there is more at stake than replacing combustion engines with electric drives. The transport infrastructure as a whole should become environmentally friendly. So it needs systems that organize traffic flows intelligently.
Mobility in the Ruhr means smart networking of transport modes
The mobility revolution will succeed if we network the modes of transport - both analog and digital. In passenger transport, for example, this means that travelers can switch flexibly from bicycles or cars to buses and trains. In freight transport, it means being able to quickly transfer containers from road to rail or water.
Smart products and services are particularly necessary in inner cities, where passenger and delivery traffic, including parcel logistics, meet in a very confined space. Solutions can include cargo bikes and autonomous delivery vehicles; ideas range all the way to transport drones and air cabs.
Making the air better: Good experience with environmental technology from the Ruhr region
Not everything that seems possible will become established. What is certain, however, is that hydrogen and fuel cells will play a major role in environmentally friendly mobility, just as they do in industry. Green hydrogen produced from renewable energies can power cars, buses and trains in a climate-neutral way. But it is particularly useful for transporting large loads in heavy trucks, trains or ships.
With green hydrogen, the Metropole Ruhr becomes the engine for the mobility of the future
With its activities in universities, research institutions and companies, the Metropole Ruhr is already broadly positioned in the future market of environmentally friendly mobility. Whether it is a matter of topics such as electromobility in passenger transport or green hydrogen for trucks and buses, whether it is a matter of sustainable logistics in inland shipping or integrated transport concepts in urban areas: the Metropole Ruhr combines the know-how of today and works on the expertise of tomorrow.
Environmental Economy Network
Greentech.Ruhr can make an important contribution to the Ruhr region establishing itself as an engine for the mobility of the future. With Greentech.Ruhr, we want to bundle and expand expertise in this internationally growing future market.
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Do you have questions about the environmental economy in the Ruhr region? Or are you interested in our Greentech.Ruhr network? Call us or contact us directly via contact form.
Image credit: Regionalverband Ruhr /Scholz & Friends for HyMr