Messages of general interest in the field of mobility are difficult to convey.
A majority of French people do not yet seem determined to put an end to diesel and its fine particles.
The results of a recent Harris Interactive poll for the National Automobile Professions Council (CNPA), the results of which we are releasing exclusively, are clear.
They draw up a detailed picture of the relationship of the French to mobility but also of the certainties and convictions in the automobile industry.
Diesel first.
In France, the ban on the sale of thermal vehicles is set for 2040. But in practice, the use of thermal vehicles - diesel in the lead - will become difficult before this date with the establishment of low emission zones (ZFE), supported by the Crit'Air system.
However, if 40% of the French are aware of the changeover of certain urban areas into EPZs, 60% do not know what it is.
And 71% consider that the elimination of diesel vehicles in urban areas is an excessive measure.
"In the 1980s, the public authorities pushed diesel to the limit, it is normal that the current reverse gear has created a misunderstanding", observes Olivier Hanoulle, partner at Roland Berger, automotive specialist.
Many diesel owners cannot afford a switch
Another result of the study, 58% of French people believe that the ban on diesel in the city is a measure motivated by economic interests.
“False, we were the diesel champions and the automotive ecosystem has suffered a lot since we turned away from it,” underlines Olivier Hanoulle.
The public authorities have turned their backs on diesel, but not households.
"Today, 60% of the tricolor fleet is diesel, we do not change this reality with a wave of a magic wand, insists Xavier Horent, general delegate of the CNPA.
Many people in favor of clean mobility own a diesel without having the means to renew their vehicle.
There is a risk of an economic and social divide between thermal and electric France.
"
Infog the French and the diesel LP infographic
The French and diesel?
The sensitive file is still considered "flammable", confides a senior official.
"The reconciliation of the taxation of diesel and gasoline had helped trigger the movement of yellow vests," he adds.
Industrialists have not digested the programmed end of diesel either.
"The latest generation diesel engine is French excellence," sighs Alexandre Saubot, president of France Industrie, the industrial sector lobby.
We are subjected to the decision to abandon it, which risks causing a lot of social damage.
We do not believe that a step back is possible, but relaxing the calendar of the switch to all electric seems essential to us.
"
90% of electric buyers very satisfied
Because according to the same survey, alternatives to diesel do not arouse much enthusiasm. Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are growing rapidly, but the love affair has apparently not really taken off. Thus, 64% of French people do not plan to buy an electric vehicle within five years, 67% find electric vehicles too expensive and 60% consider their autonomy insufficient. "We know very well that our salespeople struggle to sell 100% electric," confides, on condition of anonymity, a member of the Committee of French automakers (CCFA). Plug-in hybrids fuel because they are reassuring. The problem? Behind their promise of low consumption and pollution, some are actually bad students.
These criticisms addressed to the electric vehicle do not worry too much Cécile Goubet, the general delegate of Avere-France, association for electric mobility, who stresses that "90% of buyers of an electric vehicle are very satisfied".
On the other hand, "the real problem remains the price differential", she admits, pleading for the State to continue "the accompaniment".
Olivier Hanoulle, partner at Roland Berger, is optimistic about lower prices.
“Manufacturers will create dedicated platforms and the boom in leasing will allow the price to be amortized over the years.
"
The ecological bonus will drop on July 1
So the French are not really angry with clean mobility? Cécile Goubet is convinced of this. For her, certain responses to the survey testify above all to "a discrepancy between the perception of citizens and the reality of this movement towards electricity, which will become even more pronounced in the years to come in France". Xavier Horent, the general delegate of the CNPA, enumerates the conditions for a successful ecological transition in the automobile: "a realistic timetable, more pedagogy in communication and aid to match the ambitions". The ace ! On this last point, precisely, the ecological bonus will drop by 1,000 euros on July 1 ...
