Do you need to keep your operations going, meet your customers’ expectations or serve several geographic areas? Did you hear the President of France renew his commitment to reduce greenhouse gas and fine particulate emissions following the COP26 meeting in Glasgow in November 2021? But what does this actually mean for freight transport and how can you prepare yourself?
Looking back, it all starts with the LOM (loi d’orientation des mobilités) mobility law, for which the government has invested €13.4 billion between 2017 and 2022. One of the objectives of this law is to end the sale of carbon-based fossil fuel vehicles by 2040. To respond to these challenges low-emission zones have started to emerge in France and there is continued investment to support the deployment of electric recharging and CNG and Bio-CNG stations throughout the country.
Embarking on the transition to cleaner mobility
Now enshrined in law, the objective is clear: 37.5% fewer CO2 emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Along with housing and food, transport is one of the three areas that produces most CO2 emissions, representing a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. In France it is the largest contributor of emissions. According to an article on la-fabrique.fr, heavy vehicles generate 24% of road transport emissions and light commercial vehicles generate 20%. So while the government’s words may be encouraging, we are still far from achieving the objectives set.
Low emission zones appearing in France
In order to help limit the use of the most polluting vehicles, around 15 cities in France have already committed to create low emission zones (LEZs). Over time this will affect all urban areas with more than 150,000 inhabitants. You can have a look on the map and details of the measures taken. In Europe, there are already no fewer than 230 LEZs.
Failure to comply with the rules of these LEZs by unauthorised heavy goods vehicles or those without a pass driving through, may result in a fine of up to €3,750. However, in the majority of cases, the transporter receives a fixed fine of €135. This penalty may also be accompanied by the vehicle being immobilised and impounded. So how can you avoid this?
Making your fleet green
Making your fleet green to be able to continue operating is therefore inevitable. It is all a question of time, but one thing is certain: the measures are going to get tougher. So what type of energy source should you choose?
By using flexible long-term rental contracts, you can gradually update your fleet. How exactly does this work?
Let’s say you have a fleet of 10 vehicles and need to increase it by another 5 vehicles. You can order either 5 green vehicles in total, or get some alternative energy vehicles and the rest diesel with the possibility of replacing them with a green vehicle as soon as it is required for your business (because of LEZs, because your customers request it, etc.).
Our experts can also help you select the right clean energy source for you, taking into account your business constraints and requirements.
Please do post a comment if you’d like to discuss this more!
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