Greater Paris ZFE: the application schedule worries professionals

“We are going to be blocked”, explains Antony Hadjipanayotou, plumber-heating engineer in Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine). Five of its six vehicles are classified Crit'Air 3 (diesel prior to 2011 and gasoline before 2006) and will theoretically no longer be able to circulate from July.

A deadline he dreads, not being able to renew his car fleet. "We will not be able to borrow for all the vehicles at the same time", he observes. For his natural gas vehicle, classified Crit'Air 1, he has already paid 38.000 euros.

The ban on Crit'Air 3 is one more step towards the "100% clean vehicles" objective set by the city and the Greater Paris Metropolis for 2030. Delimited by the A86 motorway, the Ile-de-France ZFE concerns 77 municipalities, or 5,61 million inhabitants.

Beyond the Crit'Air 3, the fear of having to switch to an electric or hybrid motor dominates.

Christophe Dassonville, fishmonger, travels 240 kilometers daily to connect his company, based in La Chapelle-Moutils (Seine-et-Marne) to the Ile-de-France markets. A journey that he considers incompatible with the autonomy of electric utilities, especially since "we must add the weight of the batteries which reduces the payload and the salt water likely to damage them".

"And how do we recharge our trucks? There are very few markets with electric terminals", supports Maria Da Silva, butcher in Drancy (Seine-Saint-Denis) and vice-president of the National Federation of French markets.

In the sector reserved for Rungis fishmongers, there are only four outlets for around 5.000 trucks.

alternatives

Same tensions in the passenger transport sector. "A majority of coaches come from the provinces or from abroad. They cannot come in electric vehicles, which only have a maximum autonomy of 250 km", explains Jean-Sébastien Barrault, president of the National Federation of passenger transport (FNTV).

Of the 66.000 coaches in their fleet, the FNTV has 69 electric and 1.200 natural gas.

What seems imperative, according to him, is to "save the diesel vehicle". In France, 52,5% of coaches are Crit'Air 2 (all diesel, and gasoline from before 2011) and will no longer be able to enter the Paris ZFE in 2024, according to the schedule.

“We need a realistic and coherent calendar with the availability of the equipment offered by the manufacturers, and derogations when necessary”, calls the president of the FNTV.

“We are not two years away from a drastic regime concerning motorists”, tempers Bruno Millienne (MoDem), deputy for Yvelines and rapporteur for the flash mission devoted to the support measures for the ZFE. "We must ensure that the most logical solutions can be implemented territory by territory".

"When I started to hear about the ZFE, I preferred to anticipate," explains Sylvain Dey, manager of the Vents et Marées fishmonger's in the XNUMXth arrondissement of Paris.

A year and a half ago, he opted for the leasing (rental) of two hybrid trucks with electric range extenders. With monthly payments of 600 euros and top-ups at Rungis, Paris or at his company, it comes to him "much cheaper than a direct purchase".

"100% electrification is possible for private vehicles and small utility vehicles. For the most substantial, you have to rely on synthetic fuels", indicates Bruno Millienne.

"Today, with the exception of oléo100 (which can benefit from the Crit'Air 1 sticker), all alternative fuels are not recognized", explains Jean-Sébastien Barrault. "If they were, it would be a solution to enroll us in the energy transition, without having to buy new vehicles".