[Interview] Cédric Philibert on the occasion of the publication of his new book: “Why the electric car is good for the climate”, Veblen Institute, Les Petits Matins Collection, March 2024.

The European Union decided to ban the sale of new combustion cars in 2035, however, their electric counterparts are not immune to various criticisms. Cedric Philibert, associate researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, with 20 years of experience at the International Energy Agency, returns to these questions in his latest book. Why the electric car is good for the climate As well as with us during an interview that we share with you. Here is a first excerpt:

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For you, who are the real enemies of the electric car? In France, in the European Union, who is really against it?

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A number of things must be distinguished. In public opinion, there are many people who spontaneously oppose it, they say “Oh well no, not for me” and who repeat the lies that have been told by others: “but it's very bad for the climate”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “It's very bad for the environment”, “It's very bad for the environment”, “It's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad for the environment”, “it's very bad

Obviously, the idea is to replace thermal cars as they reach the end of their life. This trend is possibly accelerating, but by very little, with scrapping bonuses to get the oldest and most polluting cars off the market. On average, cars have a lifespan of 19 years. Around 2044, the current fleet will have been renewed.
Well, there you go, we really hear stupid things, not at all thoughtful, which are encouraged by pharmacies that produce lies on a chain, which can be found in particular in the United States and which are financed by the oil lobby.
And that has been going on for a long time! In this book I tell about astroturfing and how oil tankers managed to convince car manufacturers to give up their desire to manufacture electric vehicles. General Motors even “scrapped” 1000 electric cars that were very ahead of their time. These lobbies aroused citizen movements, pseudo-movements of pseudo-citizens to fight against the electric car. Especially in the 90s, in California, where there were mandates for zero-emission vehicles. Oil Lobbies fought this with all their might. With false movements of citizens protesting against the fact that their taxes were going to be used to pay terminals for example. It was one of the themes of attack, and, ever since, it has continued in this same style. The tragedy of our time is that real movements of real citizens pick up on this nonsense without thinking. That's why I still talk to them a lot by saying, “Don't be fooled, you are being fooled, like on wind energy.”

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