From 2017 to 2021, we were able to reduce the carbon emissions of our vehicle fleet – which includes around 18 600 vehicles – by 40 percent. The remaining emissions have been offset via CO₂ certificates since 2021. The main factors affecting the level of mobility-related carbon emissions are the average number of internal combustion vehicles, annual mileage and the associated fuel consumption. We introduced a policy for business vehicles in Germany in January 2023 in order to further reduce mobility-related carbon emissions. It sees us commit to only ordering company cars with electric drive systems in Germany from 2023. As soon as charging infrastructure has been rolled out across the board and there is a sufficient supply of suitable electric vehicles, then we will also be able to switch our service vehicles entirely to e-mobility.

Along with use of environmentally friendly drive systems, the transition to climate-friendly mobility calls for expansion and support of the charging-station infrastructure and intelligent linking of new and existing forms of mobility. Our goal is to make it a matter of fact that alternative forms of mobility are used at the Group; any decision about a particular means of transportation should be scrutinized and awareness raised on a sustainable basis. Consequently, in addition to investing in our fleet, we are also promoting more sustainable forms of travel and commuting for our employees. In 2022, for instance, we set up bike service points at 36 locations and electric bicycle charging stations in five locations. There were also five additional bike service stations and eight combined repair and electric charging stations due for delivery in early 2023. Additionally, the EcoShift app  was launched in Germany in 2022, allowing commuting employees to track their carbon footprint.

All of these efforts are based on the three pillars of our DT mobility strategy:

• Diversified portfolio: Building a more efficient, increasingly sustainable fleet with climate-neutral drive systems and integrating micro-mobility (e.g., bicycles, e-scooters)
• Digital services: Pooling and sharing solutions, mobility app (E2E digitalization of life cycle services for company cars and service vehicles)
• Connected mobility: Linking existing and new forms of mobility and mobility services with the help of a digital platform

Interconnecting transport services
Interconnection between different modes of transport will become increasingly important in future. For this reason, we plan to offer the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform in 2023. The platform combines various different modes of transport, including public transportation, privately shared vehicles and Deutsche Telekom vehicles (including services such as “Shuttle on Demand” and car-sharing). MaaS will give our employees added convenience and flexibility in their commuting options. The MaaS platform and app were developed by Telekom MobilitySolutions and Hacon, a Siemens subsidiary. For the launch of the service, we have entered into a cooperation agreement with a public-transportation operator (and thereby become the first non-transport company to do so) – VRS. The resulting service will become available to Deutsche Telekom employees, and their friends and families, as part of a pilot project in the Cologne/Bonn region in the first half of 2023. We plan to expand the service gradually to incorporate other mobility partners, regions, and third-party offerings.

Carbon offsets
When it comes to carbon emissions, our mobility strategy prioritizes reduction over offsetting. In the transition phase to zero-emission mobility, we are using carbon offsets to reach our climate protection targets. In 2022, we offset 100 percent of the carbon emissions from business operations of Deutsche Telekom’s vehicle fleet in Germany. In this context, oil companies make an annual contribution to the fuel purchased, and the deficit is covered by CO₂ certificates. This carbon offset aids projects that are certified according to recognized standards and ensures that our vehicle fleet is largely climate-neutral while we transition to zero-emission mobility in line with our climate neutrality target by 2025. In future, we will gear our carbon offsets to real carbon removal certificates in our emissions accounting according to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.