14 DAY TRIAL // This past March 27, automobile manufacturer Audi announced that it had entered a partnership with LichtBlick, and that the goal of this collaboration was to provide A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid customers in Germany with access to clean energy.
As green as plug-in hybrids might appear to be when compared to regular vehicles that run on dirty fuels, the problem is that, should the electricity that they use originate from coal plants or the like, they would still sport a fairly impressive ecological footprint.
German automobile manufacturer Audi is well aware of this issue, hence its decision to team up with LichtBlick and ensure that people who own and drive A3 e-tron plug-in hybrids in said country can actually reduce their emissions by using green energy alone to power their vehicles.
“As an accompaniment to the market launch of the A3 e tron*, Audi is offering customers in Germany green electricity – Audi energy. The cooperating partner is the Hamburg energy provider LichtBlick SE. With Audi energy, the A3 e tron is totally emission-free when operated electrically,” the company writes on its website.
The company further details that the clean energy that LichtBlick is to offer A3 e-tron customers as part of this collaboration all comes from hydroelectric power stations that are up and running in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Thus, the energy provider wishes to stress the fact that it does not use coal, oil, or nuclear power in electricity generation, and that the origin and the quality of its green energy is certified by technical service provider TÜV Nord.
According to the German automobile manufacturer, Audi A3 e-tron customers that might like to access this clean energy in order to power their plug-in hybrids will be able to do so in exchange for a monthly fee of €8.95 ($12.3).
“The Audi A3 e-tron can be recharged when parked at your home with Audi energy. At the same time, the entire household is supplied with eco-friendly electric power,” automobile manufacturer Audi details on its website.
In case anyone was wondering, Audi has chosen to work with LichtBlick on this initiative due to the fact that the company is currently one of the largest independent energy providers in Germany. Besides, it is a market leader in terms of green electricity generation.
Not at all surprisingly given its interest in clean power, LichtBlick also seeks to further improve on its ecological footprint by protecting one square meter (roughly 10.8 feet) of rainforest in Ecuador for each of its customers per month.