EDF joined EV100 in December 2017, committing to transition to electric vehicles by 2030. Here, EDF’s Sustainable Development Director Claude Nahon, and Customer and Service Development Director Frédéric Busin, explain why electric vehicles (EVs) were the obvious next step for the utility.
What are the drivers for EDF to take action on EVs?
Claude Nahon: “We believe that electric vehicles are a huge opportunity to decarbonize transport: as we are a leading decarbonized electricity provider, for us, it’s about walking the talk.
“This is about having a systemic strategy. We have an overall fleet of 35,000 vehicles, and if we think that the future of mobility is electric, we must play our part in it. The EV100 commitment was an opportunity to highlight how we are doing this. It was the right thing at the perfect time.”
What does your commitment cover? Why are these measures important?
Frédéric Busin: “We have committed for our fleet light vehicles to be entirely electric by 2030. This commitment gives visibility to other developments: we are building an offer for our employees, and we are also working on converting other vehicles. Joining EV100 is part of our global strategy on electric mobility. Everybody is enthusiastic about this commitment, which is demonstrating our strong confidence in the future of electricity as the most efficient CO2-free energy.”
What are you going to do by when? How many vehicles are you converting?
Frédéric Busin: “Our roadmap is still a work in progress, but we already have good examples to rely on: in the south-west of France, on the nuclear site of Blayais, we built 36 charging stations with solar panels on the car parks for more than 50 vehicles.
“We plan to equip all 19 of our nuclear plants with such installations between 2020 and 2024, representing more than 1,200 vehicles. With the forthcoming Olympics in Paris, we also plan to have all our vehicles in this area be electric.”