How to live eco-friendly?

Whoever claims to drive an electric car and mostly charge it with their own photovoltaic power in northern Germany should better not claim that the electric car is more ecological than the combustion engine.

According to studies and corresponding calculations, for example, I caught up with the disadvantage from battery production after about a year. After the leasing period, I will have consumed at least 50% less CO2 (all in, including vehicle production) than with a petrol/diesel car. Depending on the electricity mix and battery size, this is somewhere around 25-35,000 km.

So if you don’t have a completely abnormal driving profile (many long trips within the charging radius of the home exclusively in summer), especially with a larger family car with a corresponding battery, then this claim cannot be correct.

Please show calculations. From spring to autumn, there is nearly 100% own photovoltaic power. That is about 15,000 km per year. Otherwise, green electricity from the grid.
By the way, an average car needs about 3-6 years at normal driving behavior, if charged exclusively with the German electricity mix (no photovoltaic, no green electricity), until it is positive. So if an e-car drives just as long as a combustion engine, you simply cannot avoid producing less CO2 over the lifecycle than the combustion engine. That is no longer possible in Germany.

The purchased electricity in the winter half-year is almost always 100% coal power, by the way,

Then please take a look at the German electricity mix in winter. For example, in Q1 2024 it was 58.4% from renewable energies. Q1 2025 had little wind and was only 49.5%. But coal was still only 27%. Please always work based on facts and not from the pub table.

You obviously have little understanding of how our power supply works and what impact an additional consumer has on it. That is also understandable, as it is not properly portrayed in the media. If I replace my combustion engine today with an electric car, it doesn’t draw your 49.5% green electricity, but 49.5% - X. Much more importantly, all already existing consumers now also only receive 49.5% - X green electricity. Why is that? Just because I decide today to switch to the electric car doesn’t suddenly mean there is more green electricity. So where does this ADDITIONALLY needed electricity come from? It comes from coal and gas, because solar and wind are already prioritized for feeding in. Only when at any given time the electricity production from solar, wind, water (ignoring base load power plants) covers the full electricity demand and even a potential surplus exists, do you actually draw green electricity without simultaneously taking green electricity away from another consumer, and then nothing is gained. In summer, this is actually quite often the case nowadays; in winter, only on windy holidays so far.

You do not get 100% green electricity from the grid just because your contract promises it. The power grid only knows one electricity and on average it is based on these 49.5% green electricity. The additional amount of electricity needed for my new electric car then comes at the respective charging time either 100% or 0% from green electricity. There is no average here. For that, however, you have to be able to think in the overall system.

But I am not an opponent of the electric car. They are a great thing, but one has to be honest. They get by with one third of the energy in operation. But it is no use if I add this third back at the efficiency of the coal power plant. Then I could just drive an electric car with an empty battery and running range extender. Then the power plant is sitting in the car and I have fewer transport losses.

You are displacing the dispatchable wind power plants and dispatchable photovoltaic systems, and the expansion of large storage facilities is also progressing. You will surely also have periods of low renewable output [Dunkelflauten], where additional consumers are balanced solely by coal power, but at many times we already have overproduction, so that renewable energies are also being shut down.

You are ignoring the switchable wind turbines and switchable photovoltaic systems and the expansion of large storage facilities is also progressing.
You will certainly also have dark doldrums where additional consumers are balanced purely by coal power, but at many times we already have overproduction so that renewable energies are also switched off.

I am not ignoring that. These are exactly the times when you charge with 100% green electricity. What results on average from this depends on individual charging behavior but will definitely not be at 49.5% in winter, but much lower. It is true that with the expansion of batteries, charging in the summer half-year will probably be able to work 100% with green electricity in the future. At the moment, that only works during the day unless you have a sufficiently large home battery for individual needs. It is wrong to think that this helps in winter because battery storage is only a solution for hours and not for days, weeks, or even months.

By the way: Anyone who thinks they have to charge as quickly as possible at home will tend to buy electricity rather than use their own photovoltaic power—even if the sun is shining. If the photovoltaic system only delivers 10 kW, then I must not charge with more than 10 kW either. These 10 kW are already ambitious and usually only achievable at midday. Exception here: there is an additional intermediate storage in the house.

It comes from coal and gas, because solar and wind are already preferentially fed in.

You misunderstand the expansion of wind and solar. But whatever. You won’t be convinced by arguments anyway. If NOW (in winter) the electricity mix contains 50% green power, then I also charge with 50% green power. I am not interested in future prospects in my current consideration.
Which, by the way, look like this: coal is becoming less and less.

Your statement was: In the dark season there is almost always 100% coal power. That is simply nonsense and just wrong.

So where does this ADDITIONAL required electricity come from? It comes from coal and gas,

I thought we have no gas power plants and 100% of the electricity comes from coal? At least that’s what you write. So where does the gas come from now all of a sudden. Oh yes, I make the world as I like it.

And even if I were to charge with coal for some months in winter (subjunctive), I would still have comfortably 60% to 100% green power, since I produce it myself. With the worst-case calculation in my own example, I am still better than any combustion engine.

It is wrong to say that this helps in winter, because battery storage is only a solution for hours and not for days, weeks, or even months.

In winter, the photovoltaic share is indeed significantly lower, but the wind power share is likely higher. With the corresponding expansion of large storage facilities, the coal share should also decrease in the long term.

By the way: Anyone who thinks they have to charge as quickly as possible at home will tend to buy electricity rather than use their own photovoltaic power—even when the sun is shining. If the photovoltaic system only delivers 10kW, then I am not allowed to charge with more than 10kW. These 10kW are already ambitious and usually only achievable at midday. Exception here: there is an additional intermediate storage in the house.

Isn’t there surplus charging for that?