Ecomobility in the energy transition

Ecomobility emerged with the oil crises. It designs, develops and implements modes of transport that are less harmful to the environment. It is most often practised in urban areas (metropolises), where the difficulties of road traffic and atmospheric pollution justify the systematic search for alternatives to the car and heavy vehicles. Added to this are the targets set by international agreements and then by legislation, which are far from being met, particularly with regard to greenhouse gas emissions.

Road transport using petroleum fuels is dominant. In France, total final consumption of refined petroleum products has changed little over the past 40 years, but the transport sector's share has risen from 20% to 60%.

Many opinion surveys on mobility are carried out. It has to be said, however, that the responses of those questioned have to be put into perspective, and do not always correspond to reality. Public authorities cannot simply legislate and regulate. They must also consult and organize exchanges with all the players in the ecosystem: industry, logistics, distribution and the populations concerned, within certain formal frameworks (schemes, plans).

Mobilizing all the players involved can bring tangible benefits to consumers, thanks to digital services that bring innovation and simplify the customer experience, while optimizing costs and delivery times. We may hope that the miracle solution will come from a new technology (electric vehicles). But the energy transformations enabled by innovations are triggered by societal or social factors, and by hazards.

Transport projections into the future are often contradicted by the facts. To make them more robust, we need to better identify the levers acting on the market.