EDF announces to be the first French company to join the EV100 initiative, run by the international non-profit organization The Climate Group. EDF Group has made a commitment to convert its whole fleet to electric vehicles by 2030, thus contributing to the development of a low-carbon society.
EV100 is an international initiative, introduced in New York during Climate Week NYC in September 2017. It is designed to bring together leading businesses keen to help give electric mobility a boost and make electric transport a “new normal” by 2030.
For EDF Group, electricity will play a major role in the decarbonisation of economies and the fight against climate change. Today we estimate that one million of electric vehicles in circulation would represent a consumption of 3TW/h. The Group’s commitment to EV100 is in keeping with those of cities and regions already committed to the switchover to cleaner, low-carbon transport.
The EDF’s R&D teams have long been involved in this field, with a widely recognised expertise when it comes to batteries for electric vehicles. The Group has already launched initiatives to develop electric vehicles, including for example in its generation fleet : at the Blayais nuclear plant, EDF installed three hectares of photovoltaic panels under which “simple plug” smart charging terminals made by EDF’s subsidiary Sodetrel have been introduced, a world first.
With EV100, these initiatives will increased over the next few years, with the development of a 100% electric fleet of cars by 2030, both on EDF sites in France and worldwide. EDF Group is also working hard to develop electric mobility for its customers, by developing charging infrastructures across the country, as well as electricity supply services to help private individuals, businesses and local authorities recharge their electric vehicles. In 2016, EDF commissioned 200 fast charging stations for electric vehicles on France’s main motorways to make interurban travels easier, thanks to the Corri-Door project.
Jean-Bernard Lévy, EDF’s CEO and Chairman said: “We believe in the importance of developing electric mobility in cities and regions. For us, joining the EV100 initiative demonstrates this ambition. That’s why I am particularly proud of our commitment to convert the whole of our car fleet to electric vehicles by 2030”.
Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, said: “Businesses have a huge opportunity to play a leading part in accelerating the roll-out of electric vehicles and bringing down costs, through their own investments and their influence over others. It’s great to see a utility like EDF make electric vehicles the next step in its business strategy. I congratulate EDF for its active role in supporting its customers to use electric vehicles too – rolling out charging infrastructure will send a visible message to people that electric vehicles are the next big thing.”