Vive la France - Sustainability Leadership

On May 14th 2010, the UK's Prime Minister, David Cameron said "I want us to be the greenest government ever - a very simple ambition and one that I’m absolutely committed to achieving"... 

In 2016, as UK citizens consider their membership of the EU, the news is full of debate about the relative merits of staying or leaving. Whatever the decision, our friends in France can not only teach us about great cooking, but also sustainability leadership. In fact, they have been delivering innovative business models and regulation which has the potential to nudge the nation to be a global sustainability leader. Let's explore some of their innovations in a little bit more detail...

Mobility

Air pollution is becoming a huge problem in large cities (London is not an exception, with an estimated 9,500 premature deaths each year), and in Paris in May 2014, drastic traffic restrictions were imposed.  There's more need than ever, then, for new mobility solutions to be promoted.

Cycle hire

Long before London's cycle hire scheme was launched, back in 2007, Paris introduced their Vélib' cycle hire scheme.  With over 20,000 cycles and more than 1,200 stations, it's a sustainable and fit way to travel within the arrondissements of Paris.

Cycle Hire in Paris

Electric Moped Hire

Soon, there will be two-wheeled collaborative consumption competition, when Cityscoot [in French] launches, an electric moped scheme.  Available to riders over the age of 20 with a valid moped licence, they will be bookable from a smartphone app for €3/15 minutes.

Cityscoot electric moped hire in Paris

Peugeot Mu Vehicle Hire

Before many car manufacturers recognised the upcoming threat of 'access over ownership' business models, Peugeot launched Mu, allowing users to rent a car, moped or even van, depending on their needs.  Of course, their electric vehicles are available to rent as part of the scheme (e.g. iOn).  The scheme also launched in the UK back in 2010, as well as Germany, Spain and Italy.

Peugeot iOn Electric Car

Electric Vehicles

It's not just Peugeot who have 100% electric cars available, Renault has a range of vans (Kangoo Z.E.), as well as its tiny Twizy and Zoe, and Citroën (part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group) has something to offer too with the C-Zero.

Renault Twizy

Renault Kangoo Z.E.

Citroen C-Zero

And of course, with a significant amount of France's electricity generation coming from nuclear (check out this great site to see the energy mix), there's less of an issue of fossil-fuel power plants polluting the environment.

Finally, Renault have announced a partnership with Connected Energy, where their E-STOR proposition uses batteries from Renault cars to support storage from intermittent renewable sources, or for EV charging solutions.
Solar Roads

France hasn't stopped with the vehicles on the roads, it's even considering the roads themselves.  Colas has introduced Wattway, and there's now a plan for 1000km of roads to be made of solar panels across the country.

Colas Wattway Solar Road

Food waste

Food waste is a huge problem at all points along the supply chain from farmer's field, through to the fridge in the customer's home.  France is looking to tackle the problem between the two, banning supermarkets from throwing-away or spoiling food.

Solar / green rooftops

France has another leading policy with new rooftops in commercial zones around France, which must now be built with solar panels, or a 'green roof' covering part of the roof.

Grenelle II - Sustainability Reporting

In April 2012, France decreed that companies must report according to article 225 of law No. 2010-788, or 'Grenelle II', as it's known.  Courtesy of a helpful description from Alcatel-Lucent, it essentially means that corporates must produce an independently-verified report on the environmental, social and societal aspects of their business operations, alongside the financial results.

Corporate Leadership

As well as an active automotive sector referenced above, some other large French corporations are making positive steps to a more sustainable society.

Axa

Axa is a French insurance company, as has woken-up to the fact that climate change poses a fundamental threat to its customers, and therefore it's viability as a sustainable organisation.  It has several impressive initiatives underway:

• The Group has taken tangible steps to address climate change, in particular by divesting €0.5 billion from coal companies and by tripling its green investments to reach €3 billion by 2020
• Specialist insurance for the wind energy industry
• AXA Investment Managers have launched WF Planet Bonds, to support environmental investments at scale

Veolia

Veolia has long seen the business opportunities around the 'circular economy', and has successfully reinvented itself as a 'resource management' services provider.  It's a member of the Ellen MacArtthur Foundation, and is helping push the circular economy agenda.  One such initiative, is where they have created a recycling loop for small electrical appliances, in partnership with Groupe SEB and Eco-systèmes.

BNP Paribas

Innovative startup, Qarnot Computing, has developed a distributed data centre solution, where schools and offices around Paris can host servers, which are then used to heat their premises, for free, using excess heat as radiators.  BNP Paribas have agreed that 5% of its computing power to support risk calculations will be used via this platform, reducing their carbon emissions required to support this computing effort by 75% (mainly due to reduced cooling needs).

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All images © respective manufacturers/organisations, unless otherwise stated 

Frankfurt Motor Show - Highlights

Here's a selection of the highlights from the Frankfurt Motor Show, where manufacturers have made significant incremental, or in some cases revolutionary, improvements to the sustainability of the automobile.  Although it's hard to avoid the launch the (hideous) Bentley Bentayga, the Rolls-Royce Dawn, the Jaguar F-Pace, and the Ferrari 488 Spider, it's the news below which is setting the future direction of the industry.

Artega Scalo

The Scalo offers 402bhp from two electric motors powering the rear wheels. 0-60mph comes in 3.6 seconds. A 37kW battery supports a range of up to 250 miles.

Artega Scalo

Audi Q6 e-tron

Audi has released a concept all-electric SUV, sized somewhere between the Q5 and Q7. Its figures suggest innovation in aerodynamics contribute to a claimed range of 310 miles.

Audi Q6 e-tron concept

BMW

BMW is the 'traditional' manufacturer which I predict will be the first to have an alternative powertrain available in all of its model series first.  And a pre-show announcement has helped them achieve this...

BMW 225xe Active Tourer

The Active Tourer 225xe mates a 134bhp front-mounted 1.5L petrol engine, with a rear-axle mounted 88bhp electric motor.  25 miles of electric-only range should be possible, courtesy of the 7.7kWh lithium ion battery.

BMW 225xe Active Hybrid

BMW 225xe Active Hybrid

BMW 330e

Also delivering a 25 mile all-electric range, the 330e has a different powertrain - a 2L petrol engine, alongside a 65kW electric motor.  A top speed of 140mph (75mph in electric only), as low as 44 CO2 g/km.

BMW 330e

The powertrain within the BMW 330e

BMW 740e

To complete the trio and with 25 miles of all-electric range again, the 740e will be available in standard and long wheel based version (the latter also available as an xDrive 4WD option). Claimed figures are 134mpg and 49g CO2/km.

BMW 740e

Mercedes Concept IAA

Mercedes has introduced a new design language and world-beating aerodynamics in its IAA Concept (Intelligent Autonomous Vehicle')

Mercedes Concept IAA

Mercedes Concept IAA, with a Cd of 0.19

Its coefficient drag coefficient (Cd), is a mere 0.19, helped with automatic changes to the car's exterior above 80km/h.  And this isn't just about a rear spoiler which raises at speed... The changes are:

• Eight segments extend at the rear, increasing its length by up to 390 millimetres
• Front flaps in the front bumper extend by 25 mm to the front and 20 mm to the rear, improving the air flow around the front end and the front wheel arches
• The Active Rims alter their cupping from 55 mm to zero
• The louvre in the front bumper moves 60 mm to the rear, improving the underbody air flow

With a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, CO2 emissions can be as low as 28g CO2/km.


Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf has been a global success, in fact is the world's best-selling EV. And now Nissan have announced improvements, which include a 30kWh battery, increasing the motorway range to 250km, for only a 21kg increase in weight.

Nissan Leaf with 30kWh battery

Peugeot FRACTAL Concept

Peugeot have launched a new concept car, the FRACTAL, an electric urban coupe.  Its main focus is on sound, supporting their i Cockpit® sight and touch sensory experience.

Peugeot FRACTAL concept

"The 30kW/h lithium-ion battery powers the electric motors on the front and rear axles to provide a total output of 150kW/204hp and combined-cycle autonomy of up to 450km"


Porsche Mission E Concept

• 600bhp+
• 331 mile range
• 3.5 seconds to 60mph
• 800V charging capacity
• Tesla have some competition!

Porsche Mission E

Porsche Mission E

Smart ForTwo and ForFour

"Both vehicles will be fitted with an electric motor produced by Renault’s Cléon plant in France, the same one used in the Renault ZOE. The battery of the new smart electric drive will be produced by the Daimler subsidiary, “Deutsche ACCUmotive,” in Kamenz, Germany."

Thunder Power

A new entrant to the sector, from Taiwan, Thunder Power have introduced a concept car looking to take Tesla on with some impressive stats:

• 430bhp
• 373 mile range
• Top speed of 155mph, with a 0-62mph sprint in less than 5 seconds

Thunder Power Concept

It's set for a 2017 release in Europe, so it will be interesting to see how much of an impact it will make, as more established brands enter this segment.

Toyota Prius

Back in 1997, Toyota released the Prius... and started a revolution.  Well, it's time for an update, and although you can see some familiarity with the previous versions, it's fair to say the latest incarnation takes more than a little inspiration from the hydrogen-powered Mirai.

Toyota Prius through the generations

The 2016 Toyota Prius

The petrol engine now boasts a thermal efficiency of 40%, whilst the new nickel-metal hydride hybrid battery is more compact with its durability and charging performance being significantly improved.  It's claimed that there's a 10% improvement in efficiency overall.

Volkswagen Tiguan GTE Concept

Alongside Volkswagen's refreshed Tiguan series, they have introduced a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid GTE concept.

Volkswagen Tiguan GTE

A 1.4L TSI turbocharged petrol engine is combined with an electric motor to power the front wheels, generating 215hp.  CO2 emissions are expected to be 42g/km.  The 13kWh lithium ion battery can also be topped-up by solar panels on the roof, with optimum sun conditions extending the car's range up to 621 miles.


Summary

With a combination of existing models being upgraded, and some new concepts released, the Frankfurt Motor Show has clearly demonstrated we're accelerating towards more sustainable motoring.  And if you're in the UK, and would like to see what's available on the forecourts today, please check out my UK Sustainable Car Directory.

Shanghai Motor Show - Highlights

The Shanghai Motor Show has become increasingly important for western car manufacturers, as they seek to export into China's fast-growing market. Below is a summary of the hybrid cars which are hitting the headlines.  And as a reminder, for UK readers, have a look at my list of hybrid and pure-electric cars available now, with CO2 ≤ 75g/km.

Audi prologue Allroad

A concept car, the third car in the Prologue series from Audi is the four wheel drive, five-door Allroad.

A four litre, V8, twin turbo-charged petrol engine is mated to an electric motor, giving performance of 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, 724 bhp, yet 117mpg.  A 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery in the rear provides 33 miles of pure-electric range, with 'Audi Wireless Charging' (AWC), meaning induction charging would be possible.

Audi Prologue Allroad Concept

Audi Q7 e-Tron quattro - Petrol-electric hybrid

At the Geneva Motor Show, earlier this year, Audi introduced the Audi Q7 e-Tron, with a diesel engine.  In Shanghai, and for Asian markets only, they've now mated the electric motor with a (just less than) 2 litre turbocharged engine.  Combined, they give performance of 362bhp, and 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds.  The all-electric range is 32.9 miles, courtesy of 168 fluid-cooled lithium-ion cells, at 17.3kWh capacity.

Audi Q7 e-Tron (petrol-electric)

Audi A6 L e-Tron

Audi A6 L e-Tron

Audi continue to introduce hybrid powertrains into a variety of their models, this time it's the stretched A6, the 'L' version, which will be produced in China.  We see the 2.0 litre TFSI petrol engine mated to a 14.1 kWh capacity lithium-ion battery (104 cells).  The all-electric range is 31.1 miles.

BMW X5 xDrive40e

Seen in the metal for the first time at Shanghai, BMW's first mainstream plug-in hybrid, the X5 xDrive40e was showcased.  More details in my recent New York Auto Show post.

BMW X5 xDrive40e

Citroën Aircross concept

Citroën Aircross concept

Citroen have released the Aircross concept, a petrol-electric hybrid.  A  218bhp 1.6 litre engine is mated to a rear-mounted 95bhp electric motor.  0-62mph is made in 4.5 seconds, and there's an all-electric range of 31 miles.


Peugeot 308 R Hybrid Concept

Aiming to appeal to a slightly different segment that most hybrids, Peugeot's 308 R HYbrid concept mates a 16 litre turbocharged petrol engine with a pair of electric motors to give 4WD driving, a 0-62mph time of 4.0 seconds, and 500hp.

Peugeot 308 R Hybrid

Mobility for a new generation

Car ownership has been an aspiration for generations of teenagers, but this is changing fast.  The next generation of drivers are less likely to own a car, and a lot more likely to access a car only when they need it.  And you can understand why:

• Car's are not cheap to buy, insure or maintain
• Cars depreciate in value quickly - and this will accelerate as new car technologies render older ones less attractive
• Parking is not readily available for a lot of people
• Congestion and pollution aren't being resolved in cities

For the car industry, this is a problem, as their traditional business model relies on selling volumes of cars to the public, or for fleets.  Car dealers too, will struggle to survive in their current form if cars aren't purchased as often.  Below are outlined some of the new business models being introduced, and the players who are vying to deliver a great experience and win customer loyalty.  It is interesting to note those manufacturers who have embraced these new business models.

Why is this relevant to sustainability?  Well, put simply, car sharing should mean less vehicles on the road.  That means less materials used in manufacture, less congestion, and less emissions.  In fact, a Frost & Sullivan study suggested that each car sharing vehicle available, it was equivalent to 15 privately-owned vehicles.

This blog will consider 5 different business models:

• Car sharing
• Peer-to-peer car sharing
• Lift sharing
• Car Lane Sharing
• Taxi services
• Parking space sharing

Car Sharing

People have been hiring cars for decades, but given the fixed costs of

rental agreement processing, cleaning and maintaining cars, it hasn't been suited to short-term rentals, so was only attractive to holiday-makers and businesses.  Local residents were stuck.  This is no longer the case...

Zipcar

Zipcar was setup in 2000, in Boston, US, merged with Flexcar in 2007, and in 2010, bought London-based Streetcar. In the UK, Zipcar offer a variety of VW/Audi cars/vans (plus Vauxhall Corsas) for hire, on an hourly or daily basis, in one of five cities (London, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, and Maidstone).

BMW DriveNow 

BMW i, Mini and Sixt have launched DriveNow in eight cities, including London.  In an all-inclusive package, once you have become a member, you can access a fleet of cars, and pay by the minute.  There's no need to return it to the same space it was collected from. 

Here's a promotional video:

Peugeot Mu
 
Peugeot haven't caught the imagination of the car sharing / sustainability media as much as they perhaps deserve.  Peugeot Mu started on the Continent, and was launched in the UK in 2010.  Its service offers a selection of mobility options for short-term rental, including cars, vans, mopeds and vans.

It seems to only operate from five Peugeot dealers in the UK (in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow), so its limited reach may restrict its wider acceptance.

Audi Unite

Audi Unite takes car sharing to a whole new proposition, by making car ownership between a group of people a lot easier.  A smartphone app allows you to locate the vehicle, reserve it, and see how much fuel is available.  And cleverly, the all inclusive running costs are then shared between the members of the circle, based on their respective usage. It's currently only available in Stockholm, so will be interesting to see if it gains further traction.

Car2Go

Car2Go (part of the Daimler AG group) operates in 30 cities across Europe and the US (but no longer in the UK).

 If you'd like to learn more, here's a video explaining the service:

City Car Club

City Car Club was launched in 2005 from Leeds, and offers cars for sharing in 17 locations in the UK.

Peer-to-peer car sharing

Taking the concept of car sharing to the next level, peer-to-peer sharing allows car owners to make their car available to other people, through peer-to-peer sharing.  Of all the collaborative consumption business models that exist, it may prove one of the most difficult, as trusting someone else with ones car is a tough call. One of the early pioneers, WhipCar, unfortunately is no longer in business, but there is at least one organisation still operating this model.

easyCar club

easyCar Club offers peer-to-peer lending, with driver vetting, insurance and RAC roadside assistance all providing peace of mind.

Lift sharing

Another twist to car sharing is offering spare seats to give the driver company for a trip they were already planning.

Lyft

Lyft operate in a large number of cities in the US, with passenger ratings, payments via an app, and additional insurance services.

bla bla Car

Paris-headquarterd bla bla car offer peer-to-peer services in a handful of European countries, including the UK.  

Car Pooling

Munich-based Car Pooling is Europe's largest carpooling community.

Car Lane sharing

Car Lane sharing, or 'High occupancy vehicle' (HOV) sharing gives drivers access to an exclusive lane on a highway, if they share with at least one other participant. The idea is that this not only reduces their journey time, but with less overall cars on the road, it should have a net total benefit.  The reality can be somewhat different, with the non-HOV lanes finding an increase in congestion, and sometimes the HOV lanes very sparsely used.  This is a shame, as it's a great concept which perhaps needs to be more dynamically controlled.

Taxi services

Uber

Uber is a smartphone app which had an impact in every city it's entered, for example the traditional black cab drivers in London staging a protest.  Via a smartphone app, you can book a car with driver to collect you and drive you to your chosen destination.  The passenger can choose the level of car they'd like (e.g. luxury), and the payment is all made via the app.

Parking Space Sharing

JustPark (referral link) allows you to earn money from renting out a parking space you have (e.g. your driveway), to someone that would like to park there (by hour, day, week, month, etc.).  It's so simple, that even I use the service to rent out a space. 

Summary

If a journey can't be made by foot or cycle, ideally public transport should be used to minimise the environmental impact of the journey.  Where this isn't practical, there's no longer a need to own a car - there are a whole host of options available, helping people get to their destination.

Sustainable Mobility

I always have mixed views when I see the latest statistics from the UK's Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT), as I enjoy cars, but also care passionately about sustainability.  Is selling lots of new cars a good thing for the planet? And it's got me thinking about where the industry might be heading for the 'green motorist'.  What might motoring be like in the coming 10-20 years?

March 2014

By the end of Q1 2014, year-to-date registrations were up 13.7% to 688,122 units.  Superficially, this might look bad for sustainability, as more new cars are on the road, with purchases perhaps fueled by extra cash in the pockets from PPI payouts.  Of course, a large proportion of these cars are either bought as fleets, or using one of the range of car finance options available by dealers (nudging towards a different ownership model?).

The great news within these statistics is the ongoing path towards more efficient cars.  In fact, March 2014 was the biggest-ever month for alternatively-fueled vehicles as volumes reach 8,713 units, a growth of 63.8% on 2013.

CO2 emissions for new cars are 26% lower than a decade ago...

...and 67.2% of the market was below 130g/km, so paid no VED in the first year, compared with only 6.5% of registrations in March 2004.

So some really positive news about the improvement made over the last decade and being seen on the forecourts of Britain.  

So that's today.  What about tomorrow? Below I've outlined my thoughts about what might happen in the medium-term...

2015-2020

Tailpipe emission reductions will continue at-pace, driven by the EU regulation, and with the really encouraging sign that buyers are more and more conscious of the running costs of their vehicles (and therefore these criteria will be marketed more, creating a virtuous circle).  Manufacturers will continue to roll-out technologies across their fleet to drive down emissions, for example:

• Alternative and hybrid powertrains
• Turbocharging with smaller engines
• Variable valve technology and 'cylinder on demand'
• Auto start/stop
• Regenerative braking
• Improved aerodynamics
• Lightweighting of materials

Here's Audi's rundown of the technologies they are including within their range now (click to see larger):

Audi's sustainability innovations

Private car ownership will continue to dwindle, with the growth of car clubs and car sharing continuing, in both cities, and on high-density commuting routes.

The near ubiquity of sat-nav should reduce congestion.

And of course manufacturers will continue to introduce new innovations, which will find their way into high-end models.  A great example of this is Audi's integration with city-wide traffic lights management systems, helping the driver time their approach to traffic lights for when they are green:

Audi: traffic light integration

In the world of regulation, we'll be seeing more city-level initiatives to suppress emissions.  Paris has recently had to introduce alternate day travelling, and with London having recently faced very high pollution levels, it's only a matter of time when more is required there, albeit taxis being zero-emission capable from 2018 will help.

With the volatility and security of supply of many materials coming under the spotlight, there will be an even greater focus on the use of renewable materials, and ensuring that vehicles can be easily dismantled, with parts clearly identified at the end of their life for recycling (in fact, by 2015, in the EU, 85% of a car must be recyclable, and a further 10% suitable for energy recovery).

Finally, behind the scenes to the average driver, manufacturers will face greater pressure to be more environmentally aware in their facilities.  Carbon, waste and water usage will all be reduced.

2020s


From 2020, there may be a decade of opportunity where people will be able to enjoy independent motoring, without being as worried about the environmental impact.  Powertrain developments will have meant that it's much cheaper and cleaner to run a car (time will tell which combination of ultra-efficient diesel/petrol, fuel cell, electric, etc. will be optimal).

Private ownership of cars will have dwindled even further, with 'mobility solutions' meaning individuals can 'subscribe' to a service allowing them to choose suitable vehicles for different purposes, like Peugeot already run with their Mu Service and BMW is developing.

BMW i

2030+

From 2030 onwards, the age of the independent motorist will have almost disappeared.  Cars will be part of a mesh of inter-connected modules, driven automatically, without driver input required.  Sounds like science fiction, e.g. Minority Report, which showcased the Lexus 2054 concept?  Well, look at what Volvo have already been trialing, and inevitably, Google have been working on this too. [UPDATE MAY 2014: In fact, Google have announced they will develop their own driverless cars - perhaps 2030+ is too pessimistic!]

Volvo: Autonomous driving in traffic queues

A prototype of a Google driverless car

Maybe, each 'train' of vehicles will optimise the use of the available powertrains within each module, to drastically reduce overall consumption, perhaps with wireless charging from under the road?  And of course, road accidents will be reduced, making journeys quicker and safer.

Wireless charging a Rolls Royce

So, a fascinating and optimistic transition as we move from independent motoring to sustainable mobility in the coming years...