X-ray of the transformation of the automotive sector – Companies

The electrification of cars is a subject of tension and controversy. CRISP (Centre for Public-Political Research and Information) made a decision about this in an article titled “Automotive Sector Mutation” in one of its weekly mail magazines. A 90-page document compiled by Fabienne Collard that carefully analyzes the changes in business, with a more or less mandatory commitment to switch to zero-emission cars, with a European decision limiting the sale of new cars to zero-emission vehicles. Low emission zones from 2035 and even stricter.
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The electrification of cars is a subject of tension and controversy. CRISP (Centre for Public-Political Research and Information) made a decision about this in an article titled “Automotive Sector Mutation” in one of its weekly mail magazines. A 90-page document compiled by Fabienne Collard that carefully analyzes the changes in business, with a more or less mandatory commitment to switch to zero-emission cars, with a European decision limiting the sale of new cars to zero-emission vehicles. From 2035 and that of low emission zones is even more severe.. A detailed analysis of 90 pages favoring broken analyzes over definitive sentences. The presence of toxic pollutants (nitrogen monoxide and dioxide, especially microparticles) that define the Euro categories (5, 6, soon 7) is one of the rare documents that provides a detailed analysis of the measures taken over the years to reduce vehicle emissions. ) or greenhouse gases, including CO2, are not the same thing: CO2 is not toxic. It also analyzes the challenges of electrification, from cars to taxes, including the development of terminal networks and electricity needs. The study highlights several paradoxes, among other things. The weight of cars partially cancels out their environmental efficiency. The first is the rebound effect. It “corresponds to a set of economic and behavioral mechanisms that offset some or all of the energy savings resulting from efficiency gains.” Thus, the rebound effect for gasoline-powered vehicles translates into a reversal of efforts to reduce emissions “with an increasing trend in kilometers traveled and an increase in the average power and weight of vehicles in use.” Official average emissions are falling, but between 1990 and 2019, the number of vehicles in Belgium increased by 66% and the number of people transported by 26%. In addition, manufacturers have achieved CO2 emission standards (95 grams of CO2 per km). 2020-2024) is modulated by weight in order not to penalize heavy vehicles (SUVs and others), in fact German manufacturers too much. Fabienne Collard points out in her study that “Sales strategies are already in this sense pushing manufacturers to overweight, motivated by the growing demand for XXL cars.” This topic has created tension between France and Germany, the cars produced by the former are on average lighter than the latter. Note that the weight of the average car in Europe is 1415 kg in 2019, which is 12% higher than in 2001, and the average power is 37% higher. . In Germany and Sweden, this average is 1493 kilos and 1598 kilos. The car tax is starting to take into account this change in weight, especially in the road tax and TMC project in Wallonia. Manufacturers’ uncertainties about electric cars The second paradox concerns electric cars. All manufacturers have an electrification strategy. Some speak double. “Going behind the wall, historical builders (…) adopt a discourse that is sometimes paradoxical: they complain about the crazy pace of change they are forced to do, but at the same time they praise the advantages of new electric models. They have to fight to protect and strengthen their market shares. The first believes that , ACEA cannot stop the European Commission from stopping the sale of petrol cars in 2035. For Volvo, the reason is the opposite, the brand believes that ACEA is not ambitious enough in terms of clean cars and that some petrol engines will still be allowed with e-fuel after 2035 is trying to get it, while Volvo is betting on electrification for all its cars from 2030. 2021, electrification experienced a sharp acceleration in 2022. Don’t talk about “zero emission” cars. Finally, Fabienne Collard set “zero emission for electric cars” argues with. “By definition, yold A car with a will never be “zero emission”. It is also difficult to talk about “green” cars, given the concerns expressed by some scientists about the exploitation of resources necessary for battery production. environmental damage caused by the scarcity of these resources or their extraction.”