The Electro-Mobile Cities Trophies

The jury, a fine combination of experts from Avere-France and partners of the event [1] selected several French local government authorities from the approximately one hundred local government bodies competing for the Trophies, that had all displayed particular commitment to promoting electric mobility within their territories. They all have in common an approach based on a comprehensive vision of sustainable mobility translating into multiple projects involving electric and hybrid vehicles : incitement policies for purchase or use, charging infrastructure, municipal fleet arrangements, buses, car-sharing, communication and awareness-raising on the theme of ecomobility etc.

Monaco and the eight abovementioned towns and cities join the eleven winners of the 2010 edition of the Trophies, thus bringing the total membership of the “electro-mobile city club” to twenty.

The Trophies were awarded on 24 November, during the French Mayors’ Congress, on Avere-France’s Electric Mobility stand and in the presence of Louis Nègre, senator but also mayor of Cagnes sur Mer, and Jean-Louis Legrand, the inter-ministerial coordinator for carbon-free vehicles. The city of Epernay won the draw for a week’s charge free use of an electric bus. The prize was awarded by Be-Green , a company offering a complete range of 100% carbon-free transport solutions.

Reminder of the winners in 2010 : Pertuis (84), Cagnes sur Mer (06), Gap (06), Grasse (06), Bourges (18), Communauté d’Agglomération du Grand Angoulême (16), Communauté d’Agglomération de La Rochelle (17), Orléans (45), Communauté Urbaine de Nice Côte d’Azur (06), Communauté d’Agglomération Rennes Métropole (35), Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg (67).

Electric mobility is at the heart of several major issues combining environmental and societal imperatives – air quality and quality of living – with economic and geopolitical considerations : we have a strategic obligation to limit our oil dependency.

Several convergent factors now provide a breeding ground for electric and hybrid vehicles. It is realistic to consider the possibility of an irreversible worldwide trend supporting the mutation of our transport paradigms towards a mobility 2.0, involving less ownership, more services, sharing and multimodality and echoing advances in new information technologies and social networks.

In France, the National Plan for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles illustrates the government’s strong commitment to developing electric mobility.

In parallel to their support of France’s industrial initiatives, local governments have a role to play in stimulating the emerging market for electric mobility and responding to public opinion expressing ever greater concern towards environmental and societal issues.

With the Avere Electro-Mobile City Trophies, Avere-France’s intension is to reward those towns, cities and metropolitan areas that demonstrate a particular commitment to the deployment of electric mobility, as well as to invite all local government bodies to engage in reflection on the challenge of carbon-free mobility. For this second edition of the Trophies, all French local government bodies were invited to compete by completing a very detailed questionnaire available via Avere-France’s www.france-mobilite-electrique.org website.

Approximately one hundred applications, more than twice the number received last year, were scrutinised by the jury, a fine combination of experts from Avere-France and partners for the operation, illustrating politicians’ growing commitment to issues of sustainable mobility.

The members of the jury took four particular criteria into consideration :
 Councils’ policies and means of incitement to acquire and use rechargeable electric and hybrid vehicles : dedicated parking places, charge ports, free or reduced price car parking
 The number of electric vehicles used by municipal fleets and for public transport
 All forms of initiatives, structures or projects designed to favour electric mobility, such as car-sharing schemes or goods delivery platforms
 Communication and raising public awareness : events, exhibits etc.

The jury also took into account the quality of candidates’ overall approach to sustainable mobility.

As electric mobility is still in its early stages, few local authorities have already engaged in all or even part of the above actions. For this reason, policies and other initiatives that have been launched were taken into account in the trophies’ selection criteria even if they were not yet operational.

REVIEW OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY IN FRENCH TOWNS AND CITIES

(general data collected for the 86 local authority applicants for the Trophies)

REGARDING TRANSPORT-RELATED POLLUTION AND OTHER INCONVENIENCE :

• 64% believe that the inconvenience (noise, pollution etc.) associated with car traffic has increased within their territory over the last ten years (7% believe it has decreased)
• 83% have already undertaken studies to limit the environmental impact of transport and 14% intend to do so
• 86% have deployed a policy of reducing transport pollutants and/or improving air quality
• 56% have already performed a carbon footprint review of transport or have one underway
• 80% have set targets for reducing transport-related consumption of fossil-based energy

• 91% have undertaken an overall review of mobility in the framework of a practical action plan (for 60% this review is included in their official urban development plans) and in conjunction with several partners

• 24% have set up free or preferential price parking arrangements for electric vehicles and 19% are in the process of doing so
• 16% have created traffic zones or lanes reserved for use by environmentally friendly vehicles, authorised for use by electric vehicles and forbidden for use by thermal-powered vehicles → 19km on average
• 43% have introduced charging infrastructure. Half those authorities have provided at least one roadside charge port
• 18% offer local financial support for the purchase of electric vehicles (over and above any national support). Financial support is generally provided for electrically-assisted two-wheelers ; Monaco meets up to 30% of the purchase cost of electric vehicles subject to a €9,000 limit

• 76% of fleet vehicles cover less than 100km per day
• 83% include sustainable mobility criteria in their calls for tender (CO² emissions, fuel consumption, taxation, carbon footprint, eco-driving etc.)
• 87% have deployed, or intend to deploy, specific employee policies designed to limit energy consumption (training in eco-driving, use of GPS etc.)
• 62% plan to purchase electric vehicles within the next twelve months

• 37% of local authorities have self-service electric vehicle arrangements, whether managed directly or sub-contracted to private initiative

• 62% of local authorities have organised events focusing on electric mobility, mainly in the form of “sustainable mobility days”

Created in 1978 under impulsion from the European Commission, Avere-France is a professional association working in conjunction with an international network of experts. Its vocation is to facilitate and promote the purchase and use of electric and hybrid vehicles, in particular by stimulating and supporting the deployment of electric mobility solutions by local government authorities and companies. Avere-France brings together the parties involved in the electric mobility ecosystem whether in manufacturing or commerce or as institutions or associations :

• Manufacturers of two or three-wheeled vehicles, quad bikes, passenger cars and commercial vehicles, lorries, other industrial vehicles, buses, minibuses, boats etc.
• Manufacturers of equipment (batteries, charging systems etc.) and suppliers of electric energy and services
• Institutional bodies : associations, schools, research bodies, public institutions and agencies etc.
• Operators involved in mobility : suppliers of urban transport systems, local transport operators, car-sharers, lessors, carriers, taxis etc.
• Insurers and assistance-providers
• Electric vehicle users : local government bodies, public transport operators, companies, main government departments etc.
• Other parties : mobile phone operators, banks etc.

Avere-France’s main missions are to :

• Communicate on the interest of, and other issues associated with, electric and hybrid vehicles
• Encourage and promote the purchase and use of electric and hybrid vehicles
• Stimulate and accompany the regional deployment of electric and hybrid vehicles The association contributes to the initiatives deployed by the international networks AVERE (European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) and WEVA (World Electric Vehicle Association).