Sustainable mobility
Reducing the environmental impact of cities and living better at the same time: this is the challenge faced by cities of tomorrow and sustainable development
Eco-mobility in a nutshell
Eco-mobility is the energy transition applied to transportation: getting around thanks to renewable energy, with little or no CO₂ or fine particulate emissions.
What is the value of eco-mobility?
City centers are increasingly restricting access for highly-polluting vehicles, and air-quality issues more generally are forcing us to find and use fuels that pollute less. Fossil fuels are no longer seen as sustainable, but new resources such as bioGNV or hydrogen are alternatives for professional vehicle fleets.
What does ENGIE do to develop eco-mobility?
In September 2016, ENGIE took a 20% stake in Symbio, a hydrogen mobility solution provider for hybrid utility vehicles that helps them increase their range and decrease their carbon footprint. ENGIE and Symbio are involved in the HYWAY project, which is being coordinated by the Tennerdis cluster. The project consists of standardizing and mass-producing hydrogen kits that can be integrated into vehicles, as well as operating 50 hybrid utility vehicles in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region.
On March 14, ENGIE announces the acquisition of EV-Box, one of world's leading electric vehicle charging servives providers. This acquisition will enable ENGIE to offer customers across the world innovative, attractive and comprehensive electric vehicle charging and related energy services.
ENGIE is involved in natural gas as a mobility solution via its subsidiary GNVert. With 35 natural gas recharging stations (GNV / bioGNV) throughout France, GNVert develops partnerships with important logistics and transport stakeholders like the RATP or La Poste. ENGIE is also a partner of the GRHYD project, which involves injecting hydrogen into natural gas networks and injecting Hythane® (hydrogen and natural gas) into a GNV bus station in the Dunkerque Urban Community.
Transforming personal mobility
For over a century – since the development of the internal combustion engine in the early 20th century – we have been living in the world of the personal car, at least when it comes to getting around on land. And it has never been a greater success: the number of vehicles worldwide continues to grow, having risen from 892 million to 1.2 billion vehicles between 2005 and 2014.
However, attitudes towards vehicles are changing: their symbolic value is turning into use value. In France, the number of kilometers traveled per year per vehicle has steadily declined since 2008. In the United States, the percentage of 20-24 year olds with a driver’s license decreased by 15 points between 1983 and 2014.
Other uses are emerging: carpooling, car sharing, rentals between individuals, etc.
And vehicles themselves are being transformed thanks to technological advances: hybrid powertrains, 100% renewable fuels, autonomous vehicles... The price of electric batteries continues to drop significantly while their performance increases. Finally, the Internet of objects and the digitization of fleet management are making it possible to monitor individual vehicles better.
After ruling uninterrupted for more than 100 years, the internal combustion engine is increasingly having to make space for the clean engines of the 21st century.