Automotive E-ssentials

An interview with Pascal Mast: Partner for a sustainable mobility revolution

Pascal Mast is Director of New Technologies and Sustainability at the Mobility Division. In this interview, he explains how he is bringing the issue of sustainability to the fore also within the company.

Mr. Mast, what are your responsibilities as Director of New Technologies and Sustainabilty?

P. Mast: TÜV SÜD is in the midst of an environmental transformation process. In the area of sustainability strategy, my task is to develop and establish sustainable products and services for the Mobility Division. This initially affects the company itself, such as by increasingly converting our own vehicle fleet to alternative drive systems. We will create the necessary basis for this by the beginning of 2022. For our customers, for example, we are working on topics such as the evaluation of drive batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. Whether we are serving commercial customers or end users, we will be adapting our services to the needs of the mobility revolution.

You managed the TÜV SÜD emissions network from 2017 to 2020. What role do exhaust gas measurements play in sustainability?

P. Mast: Exhaust gas measurements will play a smaller role in 15 to 20 years, when e-mobility will have gained ever greater acceptance in all vehicle segments and markets throughout the world. This service will continue to play a key role until then, also in terms of sustainability. For example, it is important to ensure that existing systems that have been on the market for a long time remain as clean as possible. In this context, we are forming the basis for the upcoming new periodic emissions tests at our test centers. In the best-case scenario, this will mean that there will be no drop in performance and thus no more emissions that could harm the climate. We are also testing the electric range of hybrids and purely electric vehicles at the emissions laboratories – such as at Europe’s leading emissions laboratory at the Mobility and Drive Center in Heimsheim near Stuttgart.

How does TÜV SÜD also contribute to lower-emission vehicles?

P. Mast: This is happening in several ways: First of all, we are a partner to the automotive industry when it comes to the changeover to the new, lower-emission Euro 7 emissions standard, which is expected to go into effect by 2026. In our emissions laboratories, upcoming vehicle models are tested during development for their readiness to meet the Euro 7 standard. They also undergo type tests for worldwide approval and are subjected to verification measurements after-market launch – known as the COP (Conformity of Production) measurements. We are also conducting market surveillance measurements on behalf of European authorities based on the new framework directive.

Are fuels continuing to play a role in all of this?

P. Mast: We are strongly committed to more sustainable synthetic fuels, known as e-fuels, which are made from CO2 and hydrogen that is produced using green electricity. In our view, this is a key technology for the next few years that – in parallel with pure electromobility – will play an important role in the mass market. We are therefore advising large enterprises on how to convert their existing fleets. We show the advantages of the conversion and also work hard to allay fears that synthetic fuels could harm their vehicles.

In addition to your job, you are also Head of the Mobility Division’s Internal Sustainability project group. What plans do you have for it?

P. Mast: The group is made up of a total of 10 people from a variety of different areas from the division, ranging from Human Resources to Controlling and Marketing. We are all united by an enormous challenge: How can we further transform TÜV SÜD into a more sustainable enterprise that finds an appropriate balance between environmental, social responsibility, and economic aspects?

As previously mentioned, we are examining our own vehicle fleet as well as how we can support our employees in blazing a trail to greater sustainability in order to make progress in this area. Examples include promoting a paperless workday and internal promotions such as creative contests in the area of sustainability.