Decarbonization of the automobile: electrification will not be a panacea

The 37 million private vehicles and six million light commercial vehicles circulating on the territory are responsible for "21% of total national emissions" of CO2, recalled the Automotive Platform (PFA) in its "roadmap" on decarbonization submitted to the government.

For the PFA, which represents manufacturers and equipment manufacturers, sales of electric cars are destined to "sharply accelerate" between now and the ban on new thermal cars in the European Union in 2035: electric and rechargeable hybrids should "represent respectively 50 and 20% of light vehicle sales in 2030 and 14% and 7% of the fleet", which will translate into "gains of around 23%" in CO2 by this horizon.

However, this trajectory remains conditional, according to the PFA, on the fact that companies, which buy half of new vehicles, play the game of electrification, that the government always supports the acquisition of such cars, in particular by low-income households , and that there are enough charging stations.

But even if these 23% gains are achieved, they will not be enough, concedes the PFA, which proposes "to act on other levers" based "mainly on the evolution of uses".

Among the avenues mentioned: "the reduction in kilometers traveled", in particular "through car sharing" or carpooling, the transfer to "soft and collective mobility", such as cycling and public transport. The automotive sector also mentions, more classically for it, "better maintenance of vehicles in circulation", and the track of
fuels of non-fossil origin which can replace petroleum products.

Several other sectors of activity with high greenhouse gas emissions have already submitted or will communicate these documents identifying decarbonization levers, intended to feed the government's ecological planning work.