In this episode of La Loupe, Xavier Yvon explains everything about the batteries of tomorrow with Julie Thoin-Bousquié, reporter for the Economy department of L’Express and Baptiste Langlois, journalist in the Climate section.
Listen to this episode and subscribe to La Loupe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict And Amazon Music.
The team: Xavier Yvon (presentation), Mathias Penguilly (writing), Marion Galard (editing) and Jules Krot (directing).
Credits: Elysée, Ministry of Economy and Finance
Music and dressing: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Picture credits: Torsten Sukrow/AFP
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain/Benjamin Chazal
How to listen to a podcast? Follow the leader.
Xavier Yvon: Today, I’m going to tell you about a vehicle that made history and that you may have never heard of.
This aluminum vehicle was designed in 1899 by a Belgian engineer. It has a cylindrical shape, reminiscent of a shell or a rifle bullet, and it is mounted on a frame with four wheels. Her name ? The “Never-Happy”! His particuliarity ? Its engine is… electric.
It is a technological revolution: the “Jamais-Contente” is the first motor vehicle to exceed 100 km/h. This record could have launched a golden age of electric mobility in Europe, but it was ultimately the combustion engine that prevailed at the turn of the 20th century with the result we know today.
However, in the face of the climate challenge, electricity is regaining ground and is even becoming essential. As the European Union has banned the sale of thermal engine vehicles from 2035, it will be necessary to gradually replace the 250 million vehicles on the continent.
For the moment, the heirs of the “Never-Happy” seem the most viable solution, which involves producing more and more electric batteries. But which model will be the most effective? Where and how will they be built? And from what materials? Here are the questions we go through in this episode.
For further
PODCAST. What are gigafactories? The Express explains everything
Electric cars: but what is the “Tesla method”?
Electric cars: there are delighted converts and those who… bite their fingers
Electric cars: what if companies had the key?