The numbers give the spin. More than 1,000 billion dollars! This is the minimum amount necessary to reduce CO2 emissions in the global automobile industry. The estimate carried out by BloombergNEF, the research firm on new energies, linked to the financial information agency, expects widespread electrification and massive use of green hydrogen. In fact, manufacturers plan to invest 600 billion dollars (550 billion euros) for the electrification of their range by 2030, to which are added 500 billion (460 billion euros) intended for the creation giga-battery factories.
“The automobile giants have been too slow in their transition and too arrogant to recognize their delay. Their obsession with large SUVs and premium products has stalled the mass development of the electric car, criticizes Julia Poliscanova, senior vehicle director and e-mobility from the NGO Transport and Environment Now, they are trying to catch up.” And at full speed!
The consulting firm Inovev identified 17 new electrified models launched in Europe in 2024. This was before Stellantis announced its desire to market 18 new 100% electric vehicles by the end of the year. “The groundswell of electricity is underway, proclaimed Carlos Tavares, his boss, during the presentation of the annual results. Global warming is imposing itself on us. We observe that the trajectory of 1.5 ° C, set by the “Paris agreement, is already outdated.”
Together, manufacturers and equipment suppliers are therefore shifting into high gear to achieve carbon neutrality and are rapidly converting to the technologies of tomorrow. Embarked on the electrification of their ranges, automobile groups are intensifying the pursuit of innovations to develop more powerful, economical and clean engines. BMW’s new platform, which will host six new models by 2027, promises a gain in range and charging time of 30% for consumption reduced by 25%. Above all, the engine does not contain rare earths, which reduces its carbon impact by 30%. Renault and Valeo are working on a similar machine whose industrialization is expected in 2027 in Cléon (Seine-Maritime).
The end of thermal engines in Europe is forcing players to explore new paths. Plastic Omnium, the fuel tank specialist, is currently investing 150 million euros in a factory in Lachelle, near Compiègne (Oise), dedicated to hydrogen storage systems. From 2025, it will deliver 80,000 each year for Stellantis utility vehicles produced in Hordain (North) and Hyvia in Gretz-Armainvilliers (Seine-et-Marne). Ultimately, the Picardy site will diversify the sizes of its products to equip passenger cars, buses, heavy goods vehicles and trains. Until then, the French had a single hydrogen tank production site in Herentals, Belgium, with a capacity of 10,000 pieces per year. Its competitor Forvia inaugurated its site in Allenjoie (Doubs) in October 2023 and announces a capacity of 100,000 units by 2030.
Good practices are becoming more widespread
“Technology is at the heart of the transition, but it will not be enough to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century,” warns BloombergNEF. “Focusing on vehicle CO2 emissions alone will not be enough. It is essential to consider the total carbon footprint of the production and marketing cycle,” says Vincent Salimon, president of BMW France. The German manufacturer is committed to choosing suppliers who use renewable energies such as Northvolt, a Swedish specialist in battery cells, whose production is powered by hydroelectricity. He himself uses hydraulics in the United States, solar power in China and wind turbines in Germany. Good practices that are becoming widespread. Equipment manufacturers and builders cover their roofs and parking lots with solar panels, install wind generators, deploy second-life battery farms to store excess energy produced and equip themselves with water collectors.
“Another lever for lowering greenhouse gas levels consists of limiting the transport of components and sourcing locally,” recommends Vincent Salimon. To meet this imperative, Europe is covering itself with giga-battery factories. Around fifty are expected on the Old Continent. Some are already operational in Germany, Sweden, Poland and Hungary. The Chinese CATL has just invested 1 billion euros in a battery site across the Rhine after establishing itself in the country of the Magyars. As for Volkswagen’s PowerCo subsidiary, it is planning no fewer than six locations alone.
France inaugurated a first base at Billy-Berclau in Pas-de-Calais, on May 30, 2023. ACC, the joint venture of TotalEnergies, Stellantis and Mercedes, then opened the ball rolling on projects which, from Lens to Dunkirk, must give birth to “the battery valley”. Last November, Verkor laid the first stone of its cell production unit. The Chinese Envision is working in Douai to supply the Renault R5 while waiting for the Taiwanese ProLogium to set up in Dunkirk.
Corollary: lithium extraction programs are flourishing in Europe. Portugal has the largest reserves of this white gold and has already given the green light to two operations. In Germany, the Bitterfeld-Wolfen deposit will produce the precious metal from May. The French multinational Imerys has set its sights on the Beauvoir quarry, in Echassières (Allier). From the end of 2028, the company hopes to process 34,000 tonnes of lithine hydroxide per year. Enough to build the equivalent of 700,000 batteries each year. In Alsace, the mining group Eramet and Electricité de Strasbourg are experimenting with a pilot unit for the direct extraction of lithium taken from geothermal waters.
Towards recyclable cars?
Alongside these advances, the automotive industry is working diligently in the circular economy. Battri builds workshops in Saint-Laurent-Blangy, near Arras (Pas-de-Calais) responsible for the pretreatment of batteries. A process consisting of unloading them, dismantling them; to recover plastics, copper and solvents before crushing graphite, lithium, cobalt and nickel. On the other hand, for the separation of these elements, the company will hand over to other specialists. Suez aims to enter the sector in collaboration with Eramet, while Veolia has joined forces with Renault.
Since January 1, 2024, the anti-waste and circular economy law establishes extended producer responsibility. Manufacturers therefore become accountable for the end of life of the vehicles they place on the market. They must ensure their free recovery throughout the territory and their valorization. Recycling is certainly not new on the automotive world. For years, brands have repeatedly said that a car is 85% recyclable. However, the account is not quite there. To speed up the pace, Renault transformed its century-old factory in Flins into a reconditioning site in 2021. And Stellantis is copying and pasting its competitor at Mirafiori, the historic birthplace of Fiat.
All manufacturers have now understood: it is time for urgency.
An article from the special “Automobile” report of L’Express, published in the weekly on April 18.
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