1. Technological context

In this article, several vehicle types are discussed and referred to as vehicle silhouettes. These vehicle silhouettes can be compared with the types of vehicles prescribed by the Highway Code (article R.311-1 of the Highway Code – General provisions and definitions):

• light vehicle (LV) or passenger vehicle (category M1): a vehicle used to transport people;

• light commercial vehicle (LCV) (category N1): vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of no more than 3.5 t for transporting goods;

• heavy goods vehicle (HGV) (categories N2 and N3): vehicle with a GVW of over 3.5 t for transporting goods;

• bus and coach (category M3): public transport vehicle.

A conventional vehicle is one in which all the energy...