The automotive drive technology of the future is electric. This was the mantra of experts at the Electric Mobility Conference 2011 in Frankfurt. Driven primarily by political motivations, electric mobility is becoming the focal point of public discussion. In 2009, the European Union adopted a regulation aimed at reducing CO2 emissions for new passenger cars, and the German government is pursuing the goal of having one million electric vehicles on the roads of Germany by 2020. But what potential do electric vehicles actually have? Can they make a significant contribution to solving energy and environmental policy issues? Is the German government's target of one million electric vehicles by 2020 realistic? What factors and conditions influence the development of electric mobility? Can the electric car represent an economic alternative?.