This week marked a pivotal moment for France as President Emmanuel Macron gathered industrial and political leaders at the Élysée Palace for the ‘Réunion de l’équipe de France de l’électrification’ (Summit of France’s Electrification Team). During his 30-minute address, Macron unveiled France’s ambitious plan to emerge as a leading electricity powerhouse.
France is on a mission to significantly reduce its dependency on fossil fuels, aiming to decrease their share in the national energy mix from 60% to 30% by 2035. This goal rests on three main strategies: boosting energy efficiency, expanding renewable energy sources, and developing new nuclear power plants. The overarching aim is to enhance local electricity production and mitigate reliance on geopolitical factors.
Electric mobility is a cornerstone of this strategy. Macron emphasized, “Electrifying our usage – that is the core of the plan.” As part of this transition, the focus is also on reindustrializing the nation. France has been at the forefront in Europe for establishing domestic battery and electric vehicle supply chains.
In a significant announcement during the summit, Macron revealed that automotive giant Stellantis intends to invest over one billion euros to produce a new generation of electric vehicles at its Mulhouse facility starting in 2029. This was described as an “additional investment,” though specifics were not divulged.
Stellantis has yet to confirm this development, with the company stating, as reported by Le Monde, that it is still ‘working on the future of our plants,’ including Mulhouse, and will release more details ‘once official announcements are made.’
Recently, Stellantis disclosed plans to manufacture new small electric vehicles from 2028 in Italy, as part of its strategic blueprint, FaSTLAne 2030. This initiative includes more than 60 new launches and 50 significant model updates across all brands and powertrains by 2030, featuring 29 battery-electric models.
The proposal to transform the Mulhouse plant into a hub for new electric vehicle production is a fresh development. Opened in 1962, the plant currently assembles the DS 7 Crossback and Peugeot models 508, 308, and 408 in various powertrain options, including fully electric versions. How the new production will be integrated remains unclear, though the investment could significantly bolster the workforce of about 4,000 employees.
Currently, the Mulhouse plant produces approximately 135,000 vehicles annually, a figure that has yet to reach the pre-pandemic level of 200,000 vehicles per year. Laurent Gautherat, a trade union representative, mentioned to L’Alsace in April that the assembly line is operating at half capacity, with production halts last year due to dwindling sales.
In his speech, Macron urged a collective push towards the electrification of transport, emphasizing the national goal to eliminate oil, gas, and coal usage by 2050. He frequently highlighted ‘mobilisation’ and ‘acceleration’ as crucial elements in this transition, countering criticisms that electrification leads to deindustrialization.
France is indeed intensifying its efforts towards electric mobility. Recently, the government introduced a masterplan aiming for two-thirds of new cars to be electric by 2030. French manufacturers are expected to produce 400,000 electric vehicles by 2027, increasing to one million by 2030. Concurrently, approximately 30,000 fast-charging stations are planned for installation by 2035, with 8,000 dedicated to trucks.
Macron stated, “We are making significant efforts to align supply and demand. This also applies at the European level with a coherent policy.” He stressed that supporting non-European offerings is not consistent with France’s objectives and pointed to upcoming incentives and subsidies for both social leasing and commercial vehicles.
lemonde.fr, elysee.fr (in French)
Original Story at www.electrive.com