Energy and climate protection

In order to reduce CO2 emissions at its plants, DaimlerChrysler uses a dual approach that involves both the supply processes for the production plants and the efficient use of energy in production. For example, the Group’s production locations are heated with natural gas, which is a low-carbon energy source, and one plant uses shredded waste wood to achieve nearly CO2-free heating. For technical reasons, coke is used exclusively for smelting cast iron. Many production plants are supplied with heat and power by highly efficient cogeneration plants that are operated either by DaimlerChrysler or by regional power companies. For its new construction, expansion and modernization projects, DaimlerChrysler is exploring the use of low-CO2 and innovative energy supply concepts. For example, in 2006 DaimlerChrysler authorized the construction of a photovoltaic system at the Gaggenau production plant that will produce approximately 490 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.

In order to increase energy efficiency, energy-saving projects have been implemented for years now, and the standards for new plants have been continually refined, while taking technical innovations into account. As part of a benchmarking project in which seven paint shops in Germany and the United States are participating, the exchange of best practice ideas and operational experience has already borne fruit in many efficiency improvement measures. The project focuses on enhancing heat recovery systems and optimizing operating methods. In the new paint shop that was commissioned in 2006 at the Fuso plant in Kawasaki, Japan, state-of-the-art technology is used to significantly reduce emissions and achieve energy savings of up to 30 percent through heat recovery.

In 2006, DaimlerChrysler’s total worldwide energy consumption was 19.2 million megawatt-hours, 7.3 percent lower than in the previous year. This was due to a slight production slowdown and generally mild weather, but even more so to improvements in energy efficiency, thanks to many energy-saving projects in the production plants.

The CO2 emissions at the plants decreased by 8.5 percent to 7.25 million tons. Figure 23 The decrease, which was disproportionately great compared to energy use, was due in particular to savings of electrical energy with relatively high indirect emissions. The closure of the foundry in Indianapolis (Chrysler Group) significantly reduced the use of coke, and as a result the percentage of CO2 emissions due to coke is minuscule.

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Figure 24 shows the CO2 emissions from production plants in relation to the number of vehicles produced. It shows clearly that many measures to improve energy efficiency were already implemented in the 1990s at the production plants of the Mercedes Car Group. The slight upward trend of recent years was counteracted, with the result that the specific emissions decreased by 1.4 percent. For example, thanks to the energy optimization project at the Untertürkheim plant, energy consumption was reduced by approximately 100,000 megawatt-hours. A major role was played here by the optimized management of the ventilation system and by changes in the employees’ behavior on the job.

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In the Truck Group, the specific energy use, which had already decreased significantly in recent years, was further reduced, while production volumes stayed nearly constant. The slight increase in energy use in the Van unit is due to lower production volumes because of the Sprinter model changeover as well as extensive expansion of the factory buildings at the Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde locations.

The emissions of other greenhouse gases such as coolants are negligible. The greenhouse effect resulting from such gases is less than one-thousandth of the total figure for greenhouse gas emissions generated by DaimlerChrysler. Additional information for calculating the CO2 values is available at www 14.

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