France Plans To Ban Sale Of Cars With Internal Combustion Engines By 2040

Nicholas Hulot, the new environmental minister for France, has announced a 5-year plan that will lead to that country becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The plan is part of France’s commitment to the Paris climate accords. One feature of the proposal would prohibit the sale of all cars with internal combustion engines by the year 2040.

Au Revoir To Internal Combustion Engines

M. Hulot told reporters his government wants to maintain France’s “leadership” in addressing global warming and climate change policies. “We are announcing an end to the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040,” he said, calling the plan a “virtual revolution.” He added, “We want to demonstrate that fighting against climate change can lead to an improvement of French people’s daily lives.”

He acknowledged the timeline would be “tough” for French automakers to meet but suggested, “Our [car]makers have enough ideas in the drawer to nurture and bring about this promise … which is also a public health issue.” He called the plan a question of public health policy and called it “a way to fight against air pollution.”

When Hulot says French manufacturers are up to the challenge, he is correct. The Nissan LEAF and the Renault Zoe together account for almost a quarter of all the electric cars currently on the highways and byways of the world. Peugeot and Citroen are also heavily involved in bringing electric cars to market. The French plan includes subsidies for lower income families that will allow them to transition from the high-pollution carbon bombs they are driving today to the zero-emissions cars of the future.

Exponential Change Is Coming

David Bailey is an automotive industry expert at Aston University in the UK. He tells The Guardian, “The timescale involved here is sufficiently long term to be taken seriously. If enacted, it would send a very clear signal to manufacturers and consumers of the direction of travel and may accelerate a transition to electric cars.”

In a conversation with The Independent, ClientEarth CEO James Thornton remarked, “This is a huge statement of intent from the French government and an example of how we’re likely to see exponential change in the coming years as governments grapple with the necessary changes we have to make for air quality and our climate.

“Coming hot on the heels of Volvo’s announcement yesterday, the outlook for internal combustion engines is bleak. This is now clearly the direction of travel and industry players who are not on board will find themselves struggling before long. These moves should be heeded by other governments and industry, who need to act to protect us from air pollution in our towns and cities and help mitigate climate change.”

My wife was reminding me last night over dinner that it was just 3 years ago when I pointed out a Tesla on the highway and she asked, “What’s a Tesla?” The pace of change in the world of electric cars, while slower than some would prefer, is quite remarkable. Big changes are coming and they are coming fast.

The latest report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance claims cars without internal combustion engines will account for more than 50% of the global new car market by 2040. India is considering a ban on gasoline- and diesel-powered cars by 2030. Norway has its sights set on 2025 as a target for the end of gas/diesel car sales. Cities are getting in on the act, with London, Madrid, and Mexico City among many world cities considering banning conventional cars. China is perhaps pushing hardest for electric vehicles.

Leadership, Not Tweets

France is focusing on more than cars as it positions itself to be a world leader in emissions reduction. M. Hulot also announced his country intends to halt the importation of products such as palm oil and soya, both of which contribute to deforestation around the world, especially in the Amazon forest, Southeast Asia, and the Congo. Deforestation represents 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, he said

He called it “schizophrenic” to encourage people and corporations to reduce their emissions while encouraging the destruction of millions of trees which actually absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. France will establish a network of “citizen panels” to come up with socially acceptable ways the country can meet its goals under the Paris climate accords. France also intends to stop approving new exploration permits for oil, natural gas, and coal beginning this fall.

While the US slinks into a corner, sucks it thumb, and worries about how to increase sales of large cars and light trucks with internal combustion engines, other countries are just saying no to the gospel according to Koch and making serious plans to address serious challenges. Their plans involve more than tweeting inanities all day every day.

France Craft Pixel: an Open Source Electric Car

The all-electric Chevy Bolt was the automotive star of the 2016 CES show, for sure- but there was more to the electric vehicle side of the Las Vegas show than just the efforts of Tesla and the Big Three. Meet the Pixel, a modular, “open source” electric hybrid vehicle designed by France Craft.

France Craft’s vision is to offer a basic vehicle package. Basically, that’s a power unit fitted to a chassis and connected to a set of basic controls. Once the customer selects that- along with the ICE, hybrid, or EV option- they start picking and choosing the body parts necessary to turn their platform into a more “real” car. Or a tiny pickup. Or a van.

You see where we’re going with this, right?

It’s a clever idea- but that’s about it, and I’d be quick to dismiss it utterly except that it’s a clever idea that we’ve seen before. A very successful clever idea we’ve seen before, in fact- can you tell where?

That’s right! The concept is similar to bot GM’s versatile “Hy-Wire” concept and the one that launched Volkswagen, a company that eventually launched the Type 1 “beetle”, 181 Thing, Type 2 van, and later Type 3 sedans and coupes- don’t forget the little Karmann Ghia sporty coupe and convertible- from what was, essentially, the same chassis. A chassis that was, basically, little more than a power unit fitted to a chassis and connected to a set of basic controls.

Granted, having a smart idea doesn’t guarantee success- but it certainly gives France Craft a better chance of success than a stupid idea might, you know?

As for the “open source” part? France Craft hopes that the principle of interchangeable modules for the powertrain, infotainment, and overall form/function of the vehicle will help it avoid the “planned obsolescence” of many current technologies. All the vehicle platforms’ design and software information will be made available online, so that anyone who wants to build tech for the platform will have all the information they need in order be able to do so.

Details, otherwise, are scarce as of this writing. That said, you can order a “basic platform” for 10,000 Euro, and a “sales kit” is available for 20,000 EU, and includes (presumably) everything you need to “sales” France Craft Pixel EVs as “neighborhood electric vehicles” in the US.

ProTip: wait until your neighbor has one before you send them money.

France Craft Pixel EV Shown at CES

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  Taxi, van, and cargo configurations already exist …

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Source | Images: France Craft, via TechVehi.

France Is Planning To “Pave” 600 Miles Of Roads With Solar Panels

It’s not often that you see a story inspired by Global Construction Review. In fact, this may be the first. GCR reports that France is working on a project to cover 1000 kilometers of roads with specially modified solar panels. Ségolène Royal, France’s minister of ecology and energy, says, “The maximum effect of the program, if successful, could be to furnish 5 million people with electricity, or about 8% of the French population.”

This is not some solar sidewalk we are talking about here, folks. This is a major step forward in the greening of the world’s electrical energy supply. According to France’s Agency of Environment and Energy Management, 4 meters of solarized road (about 14 feet)  is enough to supply the electrical needs of one household, not counting heat. One kilometer (0.62 mile) will supply enough electricity for a community of 5,000 inhabitants.

The specialized solar panels were developed by Colas, which bills itself as the “World leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure.” It introduced its Wattway panels last October. They took 5 years to develop and consist of 7 millimeter thick strips glued to the road surface. The strips use a thin film of polycrystalline silicon to make electricity from sunlight. Colas says they have been tested extensively and can withstand the weight of a 6 axle truck. They are also said to be skid resistant.

Minister Royal says installation of the first Wattway panels will begin this spring. She plans to install 600 miles of Wattway panels over the next 5 years and pay for them by raising taxes on fossil fuels. Royal says the best time to raise fuel taxes is now while prices are low. New taxes would contribute up to $440 million for the construction of her Positive Energy plan.

The idea sounds wonderful, on paper. I happen to live in New England, where millions of pounds of salt are dumped on our roads each winter, local radio stations conduct “biggest pothole” contests every spring, and frost heaves are a way of life. Would a solar highway be able to stand up to such rigors?

Joseph Palmer left this comment to the GCR story: “This really seems impracticable. The electrical panel connections are exposed to pooling water in the rain. The panels are near horizontal, which makes sense at the equator, but loses a lot of efficiency in Northern countries. The surface will be quickly worn by traffic, and will get dirty and scuffed up very quickly. It looks like the panels must be shoulder to shoulder – looks fine on the pictured parking lot, but road surfaces frequently crack and separate, making the mounting surface uneven, placing stress on the panels. We’ll see, but this idea is up against a number of real world problems.”

What do you think about this idea? Would it work in the US if it was limited to states where ice and snow are not a problem? There are thousands of miles of sun drenched roads between San Diego and Jacksonville. If they were all covered with solar panels, they might produce enough electricity to meet much of the country’s energy needs. But wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper to just install conventional solar panels in all the median areas along the way?

French Government to Order 50,000 Electric Vehicles

The All-Electric Fluence Z.E.









These are the headlines that truly make a difference. The French Government is making a huge statement by putting their money where their mouth is. Instead of droning on about the need for alternate energy transportation, the French are kick-starting the industry by placing this massive order. The United States should take note and then order 100,000 vehicles! I would much rather see Congress spend a trillion on making its fleet run on electricity rather than bail out evil banking institutions.

From Gas2.0:

The objective of a government is to lead, though the exact definition of “leading” has always been up for subjective interpretation. Whether that means leading in an Orwellian sense, by controlling every aspect of your life, or by simply providing the bare necessities to stave off anarchy, government is essential on at least some level. Personally, I think if the government expects the citizenry to act responsibly, they should lead by example.

So I give big props to the French government, something I rarely do. The French government has announced that it will purchase an astounding 50,000 electric vehicles for government fleet use over the next few years. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.

Actually, they haven’t really put any money on the table yet for these cars, so I’m jumping the gun a bit. And it isn’t like France is the first government to announce such support for electric vehicles. Plenty of governments are going out of their way to make buying an electric car easier on the wallet. Here in the U.S. we have a $7,500 tax credit for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as state incentives. Ireland is providing a tax credit of its own, placing lots of charging points across the country, and placing a sizable order of electric vehicles itself. But France seems to want to take the lead on electric vehicles, and is working with 20 corporations to fill out its order form.

I expect most of the electric vehicles will come from the Renault-Nissan alliance. After all, Renault is a French company, and Renault-Nissan already announced deals with other countries like Ireland. Still, 50,000 electric vehicles would replace a large chunk of the French government’s fleet, and while the intial cost might be staggering, I think France will find more than enough money saved on maintenance and fuel. They are also offering a $6,600 tax credit for electric vehicle buyers through 2012. I just hope France plans on installing enough charging points to handle the extra burden of electric cars.

Let’s just hope France follows through on this commitment. It might convince more than a few fence sitters that electric is the way to go.