Making the electric car even more virtuous and more sustainable is the mission that many companies in the sector have set themselves.
“Wow your site is called Automobile Propre, but the electric car is anything but clean”. We relax, already it’s not “my site”, but in addition it was created at a time when the world had not yet heard much about electric cars, and where we could talk about cars ” clean” with a certain legitimacy compared to other modes of energy.
Admittedly, things have changed and evolved since then, and mentalities with them. Now that the electric car has become a subject of the general public, almost everyone knows what it’s all about, and that if the “clean” car is not completely clean, it remains in any case the least dirty mode of propulsion. of all. A little reminder in passing for the most skeptical:
- an electric vehicle emits 2 to 6 times less CO2 over its entire life cycle compared to a thermal vehicle
- 80% of lithium battery components are already recyclable
But of course, this is not enough. And without going so far as to say that the car that pollutes the least is the one that we do not use, or even that we do not manufacture, there is still progress to be made, every day, so that the electric car is as neutral as possible for the environment. This involves technological progress, research & development, extending the life and ownership, and recycling batteries and other materials.
But it also involves behavior, our relationship to the car, travel and travel, and how we can get involved in the best methods to make our car ecologically acceptable.
Fortunately, a few entrepreneurs have looked into the matter, making it their mission to make the electric car even more virtuous (or in any case less polluting). Whether they are mechanics-repairers, software or application publishers, “retrofitters”, specialized in V2G or service providers in the electrification of company fleets, all have a common ambition, to make our journeys in their own way more reasoned and less harmful to the environment.
Detailed review of these start-ups and established companies working to make clean cars less dirty.
Know the health of your battery with MOBA
Essential and vital element for the proper functioning of the electric car, the battery is the object of all the attention, but sometimes also of received ideas, in particular on its lifespan, its second life, and finally its recycling. But it is true that a battery wears out. To know the exact state of health of that of his car, nothing like a real diagnosis carried out by a professional having all the maps and data in hand. This is the case of MOBA, a young company (formerly “La Belle Batterie”) which has developed a turnkey diagnostic kit for electric car batteries. To test and establish a complete assessment of the real health and life of your battery, simply order the kit, connect it to your car’s OBD socket, and you will obtain a detailed assessment in a few days. , accompanied by a certificate which can for example be used to create trust between buyer and seller. It is a way of reassuring oneself about the good health of this vital element, and therefore of possibly extending its lifespan. If you want to know everything about MOBA, find the episode of our podcast with the interview of its founder and CEO.
Look after and pamper your electric car with Revolte Club
Your electric car will last 100 years. It is in any case the creed (and the slogan) of Revolte Club, a young company based in Nantes, which takes manufacturers and their possible planned obsolescence on the wrong foot by betting – for the moment rather successful – to demonstrate that a battery can be repaired, and no, you should not “replace everything my poor sir” with the key to a bill of 15,000 euros, when you can just change a faulty cell or a component of the motherboard of the energy management system for less than 1,500 euros. In its first garage (probably waiting to open others), Revolte Club has surrounded itself with the best specialists in the field and demonstrates on a daily basis that an electric car can last a long, very long time. We are not going to lie to each other, at Automobile Propre we like this kind of initiative, and we have proven it by awarding the Watt d’Or 2022 for the best innovation at Revolt Club.
Manage your fleet intelligently with Geotab and Load Stations
The electrification of company fleets is also a real challenge, because it presupposes a mass change towards less polluting travel. Company vehicles represent 7.3% of the total fleet of vehicles in circulation in France, i.e. 2.87 million cars. This is also written into the LOM, mobility orientation law, which says that companies managing a fleet of more than 100 vehicles whose total authorized weight in charge is less than or equal to 3.5 tonnes have the obligation to include an increasing minimum share of low-emission vehicles (VEVs) in the annual renewals carried out. Since 1is January 2022, at least 10% of vehicles renewed annually must be VFE. This minimum share increases to 20% from 2024, 40% from 2027 and 70% from 2030. This will therefore go very quickly, which is not without posing some constraints for companies, in particular for employees traveling the most kilometres. This is where companies like Geotab and Load Stations come in, each in its own way supporting company management in the forced march towards greening their fleets. In the software solutions of the various players in this fast-growing sector, algorithms to promote the eco-driving of employees and the rationalization of service car fleets, with savings in purchase and maintenance. Find our interviews with the managers of Geotab et Load Stations in our recent podcasts.
Seize the opportunity with Greenmove
The greenest car, they say, is also the one that lasts the longest. This is even more true in the electric age, where the pollution emitted does not increase with the number of years. There are 700,000 electric cars registered in France, some of which are beginning to show the weight of years. This is where a second-hand market opens and grows, more and more supplied over the years. Making electric cars last is not only the mission of a MOBA, it is also that of second-hand dealers, and if the latter specialize in EVs, that’s even better. This is the case of Greenmove, which occupies a somewhat special place, since the company has chosen “a niche within a niche” by specializing in the rental of used electric cars. A way to show that its offer is part of time, which implies de facto a notion of sustainability. The CEO of Greenmove also answered our questions during a podcast.
Retrofitting as a sustainable solution
If keeping a car longer is already a step towards a more favorable carbon footprint, keeping it longer by converting it to electric could well be the winning combo. Many young shoots have embarked on this niche, not without difficulty, however. Because retrofitting a car, in other words transforming a thermal into an electric one, is not a simple undertaking, and above all it is expensive. To the company, particularly with regard to certification, which amounts to tens of thousands of euros, but also to the end customer. It is the squaring of the circle and all the difficulty of the exercise, managing to convince the public to convert an old car to electric for a price which is often close to that of a new one, with a range twice as low and a outdated technology…
The progress of battery recycling companies
The recycling industry is not much talked about, and yet it is a key link in the decarbonization of transport. In this sector too, we are progressing unabated, witness this latest announcement from Mercedes, whose new unit promises to recycle the batteries of its EVs up to 96%. It is estimated today that 65% of the battery of an electric car can be recycled. In this strategic sector, again constrained by European regulations which require that at least 50% of the materials included in a battery be recycled, many companies have made their way, and it is not just car manufacturers. In France, players such as Orano or Veolia or the Lyon-based start-up Mecaware are on the job, the latter being part of a government aid program worth 30 million euros.
V2G and V2X
We have often mentioned it in these columns, even if the device is not yet well known to the general public, we believe that V2G (Vehicle To Grid) has a bright future ahead of it. Moreover, beyond companies like Dreev, specializing in the deployment of V2G solutions, car manufacturers are gradually getting started. Thus, after the Nissan pioneer with the Leaf, the Koreans Hyundai and Kia have integrated V2G into their latest models, thus allowing the Ioniq 5 and EV6 to use their battery to redistribute energy via an adapter transforming the charging socket CCS Combo in 230 volt household socket. Another way to “save” or optimize electricity consumption.
Finally, the greening of our journeys also involves optimization, and therefore a good knowledge of battery operation, range management and charging. A mission of acculturation which falls to the players in the sector who are on the front line, in other words the car dealerships and their sales forces. But also to other stakeholders, such as charging network operators, who can also take on this role of evangelization. On this subject, we salute VINCI’s initiative with its Blue Vests, which accompany electromobilists during their charging break at VINCI rest areas on days of major departures. An informed motorist may also be a motorist who consumes less, or better.
