From left to right: Clément LE ROY, Senior Manager WAVESTONE, Sylvain NIZOU, Deputy Head of the CEA "Circular Carbon Economy" Programme, DE FIRMAS Pierre, Head of Electric mobility Enedis, Timothée DAVID, Hydrogen Development Manager HYNAMICS and Norela CONSTANTINESCU, Vice chair ETIP SNET.
The 4th edition of the European Energy for Smart Mobility Forum (E4SM), co-organised by Capenergies and GreenUnivers, was held in Marseille in October, with the aim of highlighting the international challenges of a theme at the crossroads of energy and intelligent, clean mobility. Over the course of two days packed with conferences and workshops, industry experts discussed the future of sustainable and intelligent mobility, covering a range of topics including hydrogen, fast-charging stations and multi-energy stations of the future, and the development of electric batteries. In focus.
Green hydrogen - a promising solution for heavy-duty mobility
The example of Dijon Métropole
Hydrogen is light and compact, making it efficient in terms of weight and size for heavy transport. At the Forum, Olivier Arthaud, Deputy Director of Strategy at Storengy, illustrated the extent of its effectiveness through a project carried out by Dijon Métropole, which he described as "an example of how Storengy can make a difference to the environment".emblematic of rapid decarbonisation on an urban scale". It will enable the creation of a complex for the production and distribution of hydrogen from renewable sources for heavy goods transport in the city. Scheduled to come on stream in 2022, the first refuelling station should be able to deliver 440 kg of hydrogen per day. The hydrogen produced will be used to power 8 refuse collection vehicles and 27 public transport buses.
The stations of the future - what does the future hold for long-distance?
Long-distance, a logical priority
The evidence today is clear: the development of the fast-charging station network will initially take place on motorways and, more generally, on routes where an optimised supply will be essential. In this respect, France is well positioned for the adoption of electric mobility.
The number of electric vehicles is growing all the time. 15 million EVs are expected in France by 2035, compared with 500,000 on the road today. " The power required at a motorway service area could reach 5 MW by 2035 and up to 16 MW thereafter. "said Pierre de Firmas, Director of Electric Mobility at Enedis, at the Forum.
So what does the future hold for charging points in France? The manufacturer ABB has announced that giant charging stations designed for heavy vehicles and ships will soon be coming onto the market. The Dutch operator Fastned, meanwhile, is designing particularly spacious stations with solar roofs. The first 4 stations have already been installed on the A6 motorway and were inaugurated at the end of November 2021. In a few weeks' time, 5 new stations will be installed. The network of 9 charging points will cover the Paris-Lyon axis (A6 motorway) and the A36 and A39 motorways between Dijon and Switzerland.
What does the future hold for electric batteries?
The IPCEI battery project
Bringing together 12 Member States and with a budget of €3.2 billion, the European battery project IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) will enable Europe to play a key role in developing innovation and the industrialisation of sustainable solutions throughout the "made in Europe" value chain. Faced with Asia's dominance in terms of production of raw materials (lithium, cobalt, graphite, etc.), the first priority is to support the industrial deployment of sustainable chemical production of batteries from secondary raw materials.
Among the European Gigafactories, accelerators in full development, the French Verkor project was presented at the Forum as an example to follow to compete with Asian Gigafactories. In particular, the company can rely on its location, saving on the cost of transporting hazardous materials compared with cells from Asia.
What next? Some players, such as the CEA, are already looking at the development of fourth or even fifth generation batteries (i.e. moving towards "all-solid" electrolyte technologies), to increase energy density, safety and durability, while reducing the use of critical raw materials.
"With almost 300 participants registered, this 4th edition of the Energy for Smart Mobility Forum was a real success, at a time when sustainable mobility issues are more topical than ever. International professionals came along to exchange and share their innovations, solutions and expert viewpoints. 9 countries were represented, including Germany and Belgium, as well as Thailand. A total of 70 speakers led the Forum, giving industry professionals the chance to make new contacts."concludes Anne-Marie Perez, Managing Director of Capenergies.
" The event also provided an opportunity to highlight the vitality of start-ups in the sector, with a particularly strong competition that saw four companies rewarded: Sakowin, Airseas, Solar Cloth and Qovoltis. "adds Patricia Laurent, CEO of GreenUnivers.
Press contacts :