Did you know that transport is 1 of the world’s 3 major polluters accounting for about 30% of our CO2 emissions (72% of those coming from road transport).
Our suggestions for more ecologically responsible transport
Transport emissions have actually increased by a quarter since 1990 and are continuing to rise.
Luckily, solutions are being researched and developed! As the technology used in electric vehicles evolves, they’re fast becoming a viable replacement for our normal fuel-burning cars. Unfortunately, current batteries in electric cars currently don’t hold enough charge for them to be used by transfer companies (multiple trips to and from Geneva per day), and also, unluckily for us, the cold in the Vallée d’Aulps can reduce a battery’s life from anywhere between 20 – 30%.
We cannot stress how fast this is changing however. Innovations happen daily: within the next 2-3 years, the cold problem is expected to be solved and the autonomy is expected to double.
Even then, electric cars are more than capable of completing shorter, in-resort trips (food delivery, driving guests around, trip to Thonon, etc.).
Electric vehicles aside, there are lots of things to be done to reduce the carbon footprint of your transportation!
ELECTRIC CARS
Before going to electric cars, it’s important to point out that the French government currently has an initiative where, if you want to buy an electric car, they will chip in 5000€. This is called the Eco bonus.
A few electric vehicles available right now emerge as contenders for most needs:
The Nissan e-NV200is a great 8-seat passenger car, excellent for driving guests around comfortably. It has an autonomous range of between 200-300km depending on the performance mode you drive in. Its available for sale at the Nissan garage in Thonon, but a phone call with the salesman and he’ll tell you that they recommend renting it to avoid high upfront costs and aging battery technology.
The Renault Kangoo ZEis a perfect utility vehicle: With 3m³ of functional boot space, it’s a great car for deliveries/ferrying things around, with a range of 230km (120km during winter). It’s available for sale at the Renault garage in Thonon for near to 21 000€ (tax not included), down to 16 000€ with the Eco bonus.
The Renault ZOE ZEis your go-to 5-seat passenger car, with a range of 320km (245km during winter). It’s also available for sale at the Renault garage in Thonon for near to 21 000€ (tax not included), down to 16 000€ with the Eco bonus.
With the Kangoo and the ZOE, in order to reduce the cost of buying an electric vehicle, Renault offers the possibility to rent the battery monthly since its quite expensive to buy alongside the car. This also lets you upgrade batteries whenever a newer model is available.
In terms of infrastructure, the only thing you need is: an accessible outlet! You can charge your car with the same type of outlet you’d plug in your phone or computer.
E-BIKES
If you’re so disposed, switch to riding an e-bike! E-bikes get you where you need to go much faster than normal bikes with a fraction of the effort, reaching speeds of up to 25 – 45km/h.
They keep you fitter and are better for the environment than driving. In terms of emissions, if you recharge your e- bike with renewable energy, your e-bike will be responsible for none after its production!
Fortunately, the French Government has programmes in place to help unconvinced business-owners try out e-bikes and then buy them if they so choose!
VELOGISTIQUE – Trial Scheme:
This programme offers business-owners the opportunity to trial an e-bike for their business travel for 6 months. The programme is available until end of 2021. Note that to be eligible for this programme, you must be replacing an existing business vehicle that drives on average 5km to 60km daily.
If chosen, you’ll be provided:
- An e-bike, with or without buggy
- A helmet and safety jacket
- Training on how to maintain and operate it
- A free ‘at-home’ check-up where they’ll replace broken or defective pieces every 400km for e-bikes with buggy and after 800km for e-bikes without
- Personalised advice if you encounter problems 4 Ski Peak, 8 Benefits of Using Electric Bikes.
- Insurance for theft or breakage
- Access to metrics for your ride! (number of km ridden, CO2 emissions saved, average speed, etc.)
Contact: contact@v-logistique.com / +33 1 47 31 56 23
Find more information on the programme here (the website is only in French)
DRIVER EFFICIENCY TRAINING
Whether you have a small company or large business, the cost of running a fleet of cars is one of the biggest overheads you face.
Helping your employees learn to drive more efficiently is a quick and easy way to reduce business transport costs and carbon emissions. Having your employees drive more efficiently can reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, reduce wear and tear on tyres, brakes and clutches and keep people safe: Eco driving is safe driving!
FUEL-EFFICIENT TYRES
Until switching to electric becomes so easy you can’t possibly not do it, fitting your car with tyres that are fuel-efficient is a great way to reduce your transportation’s carbon footprint.
Fuel-efficient tyres are designed to reduce a vehicle’s fuel consumption by using a rubber with low rolling resistance which means less energy to push the car forwards. Less energy to push means less fuel burned and less emissions released and less money spent on fuel.
They’re also designed to keep the tyre tread intact for longer! Every car is different so it’s difficult to recommend a specific tyre for everyone, but luckily the European Union has tyre producer stick to a fuel-efficiency ranking system for tyres much like the energy-efficiency rankings for electric appliances.
Keep a lookout for this label and make sure to choose a tyre with a C ranking or above.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
You will be able to find about twenty public & private electric stations located in the valley, in order to recharge your hybrid vehicles.
Most of the power points are listed on Google Maps !
