"For a year, the" retrofit "has been taken much more seriously"

Arnaud Pigounides, President of Retrofuture, is one of the French players who are preparing to enter the retrofit market.

It targets the transformation of old cars.

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F. Pouliquen / 20 Minutes

• Just a year ago, the publication of a ministerial decree gave official existence to the “retrofit” in France, by specifying its regulatory framework.

• A year later, there are still no retrofitted vehicles on the French roads.

  "But it will be very soon," assures Arnaud Pigoudines, co-president of the association which brings together the French players in retrofitting.

• "The" retrofit "is taken much more seriously," he says.

  Quotation requests are pouring in, as are the first pre-orders.

  Professionals, for their utility vehicles, would be particularly interested.

Extract the heat engine, the tank and the muffler from your gasoline or diesel vehicle to replace them with an electric motor with battery or fuel cell (hydrogen).

This is the whole principle of "retrofitting", this other way of moving towards low-carbon mobility.

Not by scrapping our diesel or gasoline vehicles, but by giving them new life.

In the United States, in Germany, in Italy, in the United Kingdom, the "retrofit" has already behind it several years of practice, even if the market has remained confidential.

France starts from further afield.

Blame it on a regulatory framework that has long remained unsuitable.

A decree published on April 3, 2020 clarified all this and should allow the French industry to finally take off.

Successful bet ?

One year after day to day, Arnaud Pigoudines, co-president of the Association for the electrical retrofit sector in France (AIRe), answers

20 Minutes

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What has the decree published on April 3, 2020 changed in France?

Until then, transforming its thermal vehicle into electric was not prohibited.

But there was no real legal regulatory framework that allowed you to then ride with it.

This is what this decree brought.

Now, in France, all thermal vehicles - cars, buses, trucks, utility vehicles - over 5 years old can undergo an appropriate electrical transformation, both battery and hydrogen.

For two-wheelers, it is from more than three years old.

Not only does this decree give an official existence to the “retrofit”, but it also provides for the technical and administrative provisions which will allow these transformations to be approved and ensure that they are secure.

Did it allow the “retrofit” to take off in France?

It was due out in October 2019, it was five months later ... in full confinement.

Not ideal, therefore.

However, the French sector has made great progress.

Thanks to this decree, but not only.

The Covid-19 epidemic has accentuated this desire for a new, much more carbon-free society.

In this context, the "retrofit" was taken much more seriously.

After obtaining this new regulatory framework, our main objective, at AIRe, was to obtain the granting of subsidies which would benefit professionals and individuals to “retrofit” their vehicles, on the model therefore of the conversion bonus. .

It's been done since June 1st.

As part of its revival plan for the automobile industry, the State has created "an electric retrofit bonus" of a minimum of 2,500 euros, but which can climb to 5,000 depending on income.

Some regions even supplement this device.

Like Ile-de-France, with a local premium of 2,500 euros for all.

The "retrofit", whose prices start at 15,000 euros for a city car, then becomes, in many cases, a very interesting option.

Are there already the first “retrofitted” vehicles on the roads of France?

We are not there yet.

The decree, the bonuses, the hydrogen plan in September created a very buoyant wind.

If I take the case of Retrofuture, a company that I run and which specializes in the "retrofitting" of vintage cars, without much communication effort, we received 80,000 unique visitors to our website last year and 1,700 requests for quotes. .

Better still, we have registered pre-orders.

We are at 160.

This is very important, because it allows us to identify the models for which there is a strong demand, then to create prototypes with our engineers and our suppliers, and finally to have the solutions found approved.

These approvals must be obtained for each model and the processes are long - in the order of four or five months - and expensive.

So we must not be mistaken.

Some AIRe members are expected to start approvals just before summer and, if all goes well, could start delivering "retrofitted" vehicles from November.

Scooters, vintage cars, utility vehicles… For what type of vehicles is “retrofitting” most interested today?

The surprise is the explosion of demands from professionals.

In November, the government announced that low-emission zones (ZFEs) will become compulsory in 35 French agglomerations.

With the risk that a large number of somewhat old professional vehicles - refrigerated trucks, old vehicles, craftsmen's utilities - are prevented from circulating in these large cities.

However, these vehicles are expensive to purchase.

Rather than buying one, extending their lifespan by retrofitting them is often more relevant.

We are talking about hundreds of thousands of vehicles.

Large automotive groups are interested in this market.

Renault recently announced its plan to reorient its flagship plant in Flins [Yvelines] on the circular economy, with a center dedicated specifically to the retrofitting of commercial vehicles.

The “retrofitting” of coaches and buses is also shaping up to be a dynamic market.

How many “retrofitted” vehicles will circulate in France in 2030?

We have set ourselves the objective of converting 1% of the French vehicle fleet to electric within five years.

It may not seem like much, but it still represents 400,000 vehicles.

In view of current demands, this should be achieved.

Within ten years, the ambition is to reach 3% of the vehicle fleet, or 1.2 million vehicles.

As a result, there will be reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, but also a generated turnover estimated at more than 20 billion euros, and 40,000 jobs created or maintained in the automotive sector. .

What could make these conversions even faster?

If the public authorities have given their support to the “retrofit” in recent months, within the AIRe association, we would like the State to adopt a national plan on the subject.

We suffer from a lack of funding.

If the State sets an official objective for the sector of thermal vehicles to be converted for the next few years, this would show that it believes in “retrofitting” and would provide guarantees to public and private investors who are still hesitating.

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* The Association for the electrical “retrofit” sector in France (AIRe) brings together around fifteen members wishing to develop it in France (garages, start-ups, spare parts distribution companies, etc.).

"We will soon be around thirty," assures Arnaud Pigoudines, its co-president.

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