“Plug your car in here” by RachelH on flickr
Shai Agassi, the founder of Better Place and a former number two at SAP, is not one to beat about the bush: “France is going to lead the way in Europe for electric vehicles”. And all the evidence is there to support his view: electric vehicles are well on the way to becoming a part of the industrial landscape in France. The potential is huge, as electric vehicles could account for 10% of all cars on Europe’s roads by 2020.
By adhering to the guidelines set out in 2007 by France’s “Grenelle” Environment Round Table Talks, one objective of which is to reduce the average emission level of French cars from 176 g to 130 g of CO2/km by 2020, France is making great strides towards “clean” transport for private individuals…
In October 2009, the Ministry for Ecology launched the national “Electric Vehicles” plan, comprising 14 concrete measures to promote the development of rechargeable electric and hybrid vehicles. Among them is the wide-scale purchase of electric vehicles by the public-sector and private companies. No sooner said than done, as the French government recently announced a joint order for 50,000 electric vehicles, which several major groups have signed up to (Air France, Areva, Bouygues, EDF, La Poste, etc.). This order alone could exceed 100,000 units by 2011.
To boost the appeal of these vehicles, 12 local authorities recently committed themselves to rolling out the recharging infrastructure that is so crucial to the plan, starting in 2010. The goal is to install one million charging stations in homes and workplaces by 2015.
And to convince consumers to switch to electric cars once and for all, French households will receive a €5,000 bonus when they purchase a low-carbon vehicle.
Following on from the “Electric Vehicles” plan, France is busy setting up a whole new industry, starting with vehicle batteries. Renault, the CEA (French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission) and Nissan are currently building a plant in Flins, 30 miles outside of Paris, with the capacity to produce 100,000 to 350,000 batteries a year. French firm Saft, the world’s number one in high-tech batteries, founded a joint venture with US equipment manufacturer Johnson Controls in 2006 and now its French plant in Nersac (Poitou-Charentes) already provides power supplies for foreign vehicle makers (the Mercedes S-Class hybrid and the BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid).
Meanwhile, the EV Plug Alliance created in March 2010 by Schneider Electric, Legrand and Scame is working towards a standardized plug and socket solution.
Not to be outdone, equipment manufacturers Valeo, Michelin, Leroy Somer, GKN, Johnson Controls Saft and Leoni joined forces in a consortium set up in June 2009 to develop an integrated product range of electric vehicles.
And let us not forget automotive manufacturers (Renault, PSA, Bolloré, etc.). Many are planning to launch their first electric vehicles at the end of 2010 and their first rechargeable hybrids by the end of 2012. Spurred on by this bustle of activity, BMW has chosen France as a platform for trials of its new electric Mini.
France is engaged in intensive research to support the industry. The country now has three innovation clusters devoted entirely to electric vehicles: Mobility and Advanced Transport in the Poitou-Charentes region, Mov’eo in Normandy, and Vehicles for the Future in Mulhouse (Alsace), which released its first ultra-clean electric model in June, the scooter F2E2, developed by a local firm in collaboration with the Swiss company Locatis.
And as innovation would be impossible without training, French universities are already offering courses tailored to the new requirements of the market. A new Masters in Electric Vehicle Engineering is being offered by four of ParisTech’s automotive engineering schools, with the support of Renault, EDF and the French confederation of automotive companies. All this bodes very well indeed for the future of ‘green’ cars in France!
