GIEVSS and France Renouvelables call for building mobility electrification with local authorities

In a context where the cost of fossil fuels is weighing increasingly on household budgets, both organisations recall that accelerating the electrification of uses is a major lever for reducing energy dependence, improving purchasing power and strengthening energy sovereignty.

Mobility electrification begins in local areas

Contrary to a still widespread idea, electric mobility is not intended to be limited to major cities. In rural and peri-urban areas, where transport alternatives are limited, 80% of journeys are made by car, with home-to-work distances that are significantly longer than in urban areas. This structural dependence on individual mobility also means that transport weighs more heavily in household budgets. Electrifying mobility is therefore not a comfort measure, but a concrete response to the cost of daily travel.

"We must move beyond the myth of an electric car designed only for urban users. In rural areas, where cars are essential and distances are longer, electric mobility is instead a powerful lever to reduce travel costs and guarantee access to everyday services," says GIEVSS.

Producing and electrifying uses locally

Electrifying uses cannot be separated from electricity production. This production is territorial by nature: renewable energy relies on local resources and on projects designed with communities and for residents.

The economic benefits generated by electrification are concrete. Each MW of wind or photovoltaic capacity installed can generate more than 15,000 euros in tax revenue per year, representing nearly 350 million euros redistributed annually to local authorities. These revenues directly support local investment, from renovating public facilities to modernising networks and deploying infrastructure useful to residents.

"Renewable electricity production is first and foremost local production. It creates value in local areas and directly supports the electrification of the economy and our uses. Mobility is now the most concrete and visible example: it shows how local production and changes in use can reinforce each other. This connection must now be amplified and fully integrated into electrification plans," explains France Renouvelables.

Connecting renewable production and electric mobility: sovereignty and purchasing power

For France Renouvelables and GIEVSS, the next challenge is to better connect renewable electricity production with new electric uses. This connection can already take concrete forms locally: renewable electricity production combined with publicly accessible charging infrastructure, renewable installations directly supplying parked vehicles, financing municipal or intermunicipal public transport vehicles, and expanding and densifying charging networks.

Electric vehicle charging can also become a tool for balancing the energy system when use is synchronised with renewable production: daytime charging when production, especially solar, is abundant, incentive tariff schemes, or technologies that allow batteries to return electricity to the grid. These solutions help use and value locally produced electricity and make the public benefits of renewable energy and electrification visible in local areas.

Localising public policies

Public authorities have identified the direct link between electricity production, electrification of uses and energy sovereignty. This must now be translated into action by taking social and geographic realities into account and by introducing strong prioritisation in support for mobility electrification.

This approach should be organised around three priorities:

• Prioritise areas where dependence on individual mobility is strongest;
• Design support schemes as investment levers for individuals and businesses, because investment barriers prevent users from benefiting from the substantial operating savings of switching to electric mobility;
• Direct measures toward a clear objective of social justice and purchasing power, within a concrete trajectory for vehicle fleet electrification now, not in 15 years.

The issue is not only environmental: it is also social and economic, especially in areas exposed to changes in fuel prices. Municipalities and intermunicipal authorities play a central role because they bring together renewable energy projects, everyday mobility organisation and land-use planning decisions.

In this context, France Renouvelables and GIEVSS call for renewable electricity production stakeholders to be fully involved in working groups dedicated to electrification plans, so that the development of electric uses and renewable electricity production can be better aligned.

Press release: