Prof. Dr. Patrick Plötz

Patrick Plötz has a background in physics and economics. His research and policy advice focuses on climate change mitigation options and energy system transformation, particularly on transport, market diffusion and user behaviour.

• Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: What are realistic emissions of plug-in-hybrid electric vehicles? How much do they drive on electricity and which factors influence the electric driving shares?
• Vehicle user behaviour and early adopter of electric vehicles: Who are electric vehicle users? How and where do they charge? How regular is vehicle usage behaviour?
• Alternative fuels and infrastructure for light- and heayy-duty vehicles: In which areas can electric trucks and cars be used? What can a market ramp-up look like? Where should infrastructure be built and how much? What is the future role of different alternative fuels?
• Policy analysis: What is the impact of different CO2 emission reduction policies? How can emission reduction policies be effective and efficient?
• Energy system analysis and CO2 emissions: What is the impact of new electricity demand technologies on the energy system? What are the resulting investment needs and CO2 emissions?

• Seit 2012 Seminar »Alternative Antriebe« am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
• Seit 2014 Lehrauftrag »Quantitative Methoden der Energiewirtschaft« am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Google scholar profile and scopus profile

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

• Kunze, R.; Preuß, S.; Zwirnmann, J.; Plötz, P.; Wietschel, M. (2024): Determining the share of renewable electricity in electric vehicle charging in Europe. In: Energy Reports 12, pp. 5834-5845.
• Plötz, P., et al. (2022). Real-world usage of plug-in hybrid vehicles in Europe. ICCT White paper, June 2022, 
  Covered in Handelsblatt, Wirtschaftswoche, Focus, Tagesspiegel, Zeit, Leipziger Volkszeitung, Merkur, Hannoversche Allgemeine, Ostsee-Zeitung, Neue Presse, Göttinger Tageblatt, Märkische Allgemeine, and in several online media
• Plötz, P. & Link, S. (2022): Der Anfang vom Ende für Plug-in-Hybridfahrzeuge in Europa. https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/de/blog/2022/Anfang-vom-Ende-Plug-in-Hybrid-Fahrzeuge-Europa.html
• Plötz, P., et al. (2020). Real-world usage of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: Fuel consumption, electric driving, and CO₂ emissions. ICCT white paper, Sept. 2020.
  Covered in Television (ARD, ZDF, 3sat, SWR, Deutsche Welle), Radio (NDR, WDR, Deutschlandfunk, Bayern 2, Canada), Newspapers (FAZ, SZ, Handelsblatt, Welt, Zeit, Manager Magazin, DPA, Stern, Focus, Wirtschaftswoche, Tagesspiegel, Tagesanzeiger, Taz, Der Standard, Krone, HNA, BNN, Abendblatt, Frankfurter Neue Presse Stadt, Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Badische Zeitung Freiburg, Pforzheimer Zeitung, Straubinger Tagblatt, Landshuter Zeitung, Badische Neueste Nachrichten, Acher- und Bühler Bote, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, Rhein-Zeitung Koblenz, Auto-Motor-Sport, Verkehrsrundschau, Heilbronner Stimme, Südwest Presse, Donaukurier, Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten, Leipziger Volkszeitung, Lübecker Nachrichten Neue Presse, Osterländer Volkszeitung, Ostsee-Zeitung) and online on various website from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Norway, USA, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan
• Plötz, P., et al. (2021):  From lab-to-road: Real-world emissions of plug-in-hybrid electric vehicles. Environmental Res. Lett. 16 054078.
• Plötz, P., et al. (2017): CO₂ Mitigation Potential of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles larger than expected. Scientific Reports 7, 16493. Featured in the TOP100 of Scientific Reports 2017.

Vehicle user behaviour and early adopter of electric vehicles

• Plötz, P., U. Schneider, J. Globisch, and E. Dütschke (2014). Who will buy Electric Vehicles? Identifying the Early Adopters in Germany. Transportation Research A: Policy and Practice 67, 96-109.
• Hardman, S., Jenn, A., Tal, G., Axsen, J., Beard, G., Daina, N., Figenbaum, E., Jakobsson, N., Jochem, P., Kinnear, N., Plötz, P., Pontes, J., Refa, N., Sprei, F., Turrentine, T., & Witkamp, B. (2018): A review of consumer preferences of and interactions with electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 62, 508-523.
• Plötz, P. & Sprei, F., (2021): Variability of daily car usage and the frequency of long-distance driving. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 101, 103126.

Alternative fuels and infrastructure for light- and heavy-duty vehicles

• Plötz, P. (2022): Hydrogen technology is unlikely to play a major role in sustainable road transport. Nature Electronics 5, 8–10. Covered in Stern, Welt, FAZ, Süddeutsche, Handelsblatt, Zeit, and many regional newspapers
• Speth, D., Plötz, P., Funke, S. & Vallarella, E. (2022): Public Fast Charging Infrastructure for Battery Electric Trucks – Designing a network for Germany. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability.
• Link, S.; Plötz, P.; Griener, J.; Moll, C. (2021): Lieferverkehr mit Batterie-Lkw. Machbarkeit 2021. Fallbeispiel REWE Group - Region Nordost. Karlsruhe: Fraunhofer ISI. Covered in Zeit, Welt, Wallstreet Journal, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Focus, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and others as well as various websites in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain
• Gnann, T., Funke, S., Jakobsson, N., Plötz, P., Sprei, F., & Bennehag, A. (2018): Fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles: Today’s situation and future needs, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 62, 314-329.

Policy Analysis

• Axsen, J., Plötz, P., & Wolinetz, M. (2020): Crafting strong, integrated policy mixes for deep CO₂ mitigation in road transport. Nature Climate Change 10, 809-818 covered in Vancouver Sun, Phsy.org, CFAX radio, CBC,
• Plötz, P., Axsen J., Funke, S.A., & Gnann, T. (2019): Designing Car Bans for Sustainable Transportation. Nature Sustainability 2, 534-536.
• Münzel, C., Plötz, P., Sprei, F., & Gnann, T. (2019): How large is the effect of financial incentives on electric vehicle sales? – A global review and European analysis. Energy Economics, 104493.
• Breed, A., Speth, D. & Plötz, P. (2021): CO₂ Fleet Regulation and the Future Market Diffusion of Zero Emission Trucks in Europe. Energy Policy 159, 112640.
• Fritz, M., Plötz, P., & Funke, S.A. (2019): The impact of ambitious fuel economy standards on the market uptake of electric vehicles and CO₂ emissions. Energy Policy 135, 111006.

Energy System Analysis and CO2 emissions

• Märtz, A., Plötz, P., Jochem, P. (2021): Global Perspective on CO2 Emission Dynamics of Electric Vehicles. Environmental Res. Lett. 16 054043.
• Plötz, P., et al. (2019): Impact of electric trucks powered by overhead lines on the European electricity system and CO2 emissions. Energy Policy 130, 32-40.
• Wietschel, M., Plötz, P., et al. (2018): Sektorkopplung - Was ist darunter zu verstehen? Zeitschrift für Energiewirtschaft 43 (1), 1–10.

Complex dynamics in ultra-cold atoms

• Plötz, P., Lubasch, M., & Wimberger, S. (2011): Detection of avoided crossings by fidelity. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 390 (7), 1363-1369.
• Plötz, P., & Wimberger, S. (2010): Stückelberg-Interferometry with ultracold atoms. European Physical Journal D 65 (1-2), 199-205.
• Plötz, P., P. Schlagheck, S. Wimberger (2010): Effective spin model for interband transport in a Wannier-Stark lattice system. J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 63, 47-53.
• Plötz, P., Madronero, J., & Wimberger, S.: Collapse and revival in inter-band oscillations of a two-band Bose-Hubbard model. J. Phys. B 43, 081001.

• International Research Collaboration on Electric Road Systems II (CollERS2) https://electric-road-systems.eu/e-r-systems/index.php
• HoLa – Hochleistungsladen im Lkw-Fernverkehr https://www.hochleistungsladen-lkw.de/hola-de/
• Energie- und Klimaschutzprojektionen 2035/2050 https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/de/competence-center/energietechnologien-energiesysteme/projekte/Energie_und_Klimaschutzprojektionen_2035_2050.html
• Potential charge station placements based on present logistics activity https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/de/competence-center/energietechnologien-energiesysteme/projekte/Potential_charge_station_placements.html
• Wie sieht eine europäische Ladeinfrastruktur für Batterie-Lkw aus? https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/de/presse/2021/presseinfo-11-europaeische-ladeinfrastruktur-fuer-batterie-lkw.html