Presentation
The large-scale deployment of electric passenger vehicles is central to achieving the decarbonization targets for passenger transport. However, it is a subject of controversy among the general public and has become a political battleground. In practice, however, figures show a steady uptake of electric vehicles in France. In this paradoxical context, the IMT and IDDRI, in partnership with the Observatoire Société Consommation (ObSoCo), conducted a survey of the French public with the aim of distinguishing real sources of tension from superficial divisions and building a project that is both acceptable and unifying around the transition to electric vehicles.
Recommendations
In order to combine environmental ambition with social feasibility when it comes to electric vehicles, the way forward lies in providing a robust response to perceived uncertainties.
- A clear direction and guarantees. Users are asking for concrete guarantees and proof through experience rather than rhetoric extolling the vehicle’s merits. This requires a humble response from decision-makers.
- “When there's a way, there's a will.” A change in approach is needed: the priority must be to ensure access and increase opportunities to experience electric vehicles.
- A renewed mobility pact. This pact does not pit cars against public transport; instead, it restores a collective direction and provides everyone with flexibility to make their own choice.
Actions can be taken today to embody this new approach.
- Facilitating access to electric vehicles through second-hand opportunities
- Avoiding a two-speed transition
- Renewing the promise and providing guarantees regarding running costs and the price of electricity
- Beyond electric vehicles, offering a more agile mobility system to meet needs
