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PROFILE

EU Commercial Vehicle Stakeholders tackle current and future issues at FFC (French Bodywork Federation) in Lyon

Beginning in 2018, the FFC (French Bodywork Federation) and its President, Patrick Cholton (pictured above), created an event alternating with the Solutrans commercial vehicle trade exhibition, bringing together main stakeholders within the industrial and urban vehicle sectors to discuss topics and issues around the major subjects that drive it. On November 17, 2022, at the Lou Rugby Matmut Stadium Gerland in Lyon, France, the third edition of the Industrial Vehicle Industry meetings, (Rencontres de la Filière) was held. Fleet Transport was invited to attend.

Key players in the transport and logistics ecosystem gathered for the day-long conference to take stock of the major challenges facing their businesses, and to promote the innovative solutions developed by manufacturers in response to environmental, economic and social issues. The series of talks and round tables was followed by a gala dinner during which the FFC presented its Industry Personality of the Year award to Luc Chatel, the Chairman of PFA. Former Government Minister. Patrick Cholton also outlined details of Solutrans 2023, a year ahead of the event.

Ford Trucks Electric & e-Transit

Commenting on the successful occasion, Patrick Cholton said: “I am truly delighted to see the profile and numbers of people who made time for the event this year, which also proves the value of these industry days. HGV and LCV manufacturers, hauliers, energy providers, rental companies, and equipment suppliers, from France and Europe all made the journey to address subjects of the highest importance and witness some very high-level discussions.”

Clément Beaune, the French Minister of Transport, recorded a video message aimed at the entire sector. In his address, he sent out “a message conveying the [French] Government’s very strong, clear support for the large and powerful momentum of change that the sector is experiencing at the moment, and its congratulations for all the efforts made for so many years.” The Minister highlighted the electrification of trucks: “The decarbonisation potential of heavy-duty transport mainly resides in the replacement and greening of its powertrains. In the energy mix of the ecological transition of fleets, electric power constitutes a foremost vector.”

Among the speakers at the seminar was Anne-Sophie Alsif, Chief Economist at BDO, who gave a few pointers to understanding the global economic landscape. In particular, she explained the difference between American and European inflation

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Renault Traffic Electric

which, while they appear similar in terms of percentages, do not depend on the same components. In the United States, inflation is caused by excessive demand, due to post-Covid budgetary stimulus packages. Consequently, the Federal Reserve is today raising interest rates to make this inflation fall and revert to a normal situation in the medium term. Additionally the US does not have any energy supply problems since it already produce gas and crude oil. “In Europe, the situation is quite different, since 60% of our inflation is triggered by the rising prices of energy and foodstuffs. This crisis-induced imported inflation is more difficult for the Central Bank to address. The ECB itself is raising rates, but the measures will have less impact since we are still dependent on energy. In the same way, economic growth will be weaker,” she said. Her conclusion is that we should not depend on a specific energy procurement source and therefore should buy our energy from several countries.

MAIN TOPIC: “ENERGY TRANSITION: THE IMPOSSIBLE SCENARIO OF BRUSSELS?”

Listening to the points of view of the HGV manufacturers around the table (representatives from Iveco, Scania, Volvo Trucks and the importers association CSIAM were present), a certain degree of unanimity could be observed in concern that potential Euro 7 targets will compound the challenges of reaching those for electric mobility. In other words, their human and financial resources would appear incapable of pursuing and meeting all the targets within the given timeframe.

While all agree that battery electric vehicles will dominate the market in the long run, there will still remain a space for fossil fuel engines for certain missions unsuited to electric mobility. But, as recalled by many speakers, most notably Amélie Rung from Vinci Autoroutes, one of the key issues will be how to provide sufficiently powerful and dense charging infrastructure to charge all these HGVs. The recent announcements on the preservation of the French electricity grid in January 2023 would indicate that there is still a very long way to go.

The last part of this busy day was dedicated to one of the hottest topics currently, discussing low emission zones (or clean air zones) which will lead to nearly 90% of trucks being banned from driving in city centres.

In recent years, Europe has seen a conspicuous rise in LEZs of which there are now 320, including 253 in Italy, 82 in Germany and 22 in the United Kingdom. In France, there are currently 11, including five which have set out a legislative timeline, culminating in a total ban on diesel vehicles, namely, Paris by 2024, Grenoble (2025), Lyon (2026) and Strasbourg (2028).

During the evening function which followed the series of talks and debates, Luc Chatel, Chairman of PFA, received the Industry Personality of the Year Award from Henri Paccalin, the Chairman of CSIAM.

Patrick Cholton presented an outline of the 2023 SOLUTRANS exhibition, which will once again be held at EurExpo in Lyon next November. On the agenda for the 2023 exhibition are themes covering energy transition, retrofitting, alternative delivery methods, etc. A Cargo Bike area will also feature at the show for the first time, together with a comprehensive programme of live and interactive content.