Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

Before Philippe Schulz became Renault’s Expert Leader, Environment, Energy and Raw Materials, he worked for the oil industry.

But he could see the writing on the wall and that led him to his current role at Renault, as one of the driving forces behind its expansive electric vehicle programme.

He told the TEDGlobal 2013 conference in Edinburgh: “Oil is a finite resource. We don’t know when it will run out, but it will.”

So Philippe moved to the automotive industry to try to change what and how we drive. Hybrids and clean diesels help, he says, “…but it’s not nearly enough. We need a transport revolution, but I would argue that the automotive revolution has already started: the electric car.”

He told the conference: “Battery cars have passed every test. They are as safe as other cars and even more fun to drive. They are also becoming more affordable: they are already about the same price as a diesel and cost much less to run.”

But he added that although The Alliance already has 100,000 EV customers, the electric revolution needs to go faster. “There are 700 million cars on earth and we are selling at least 80 million more each year. Air pollution in our cities is terrible and conventional cars are part of the problem.

“The EU, USA and China together spend more than 1 trillion dollars importing oil each year. These countries would rather spend that money on public education, public health or improving roads, bridges, parks and energy infrastructure.

“So why keep the status quo? Why not transition smoothly, gradually, to a transportation paradigm that it is better than the one it replaces?

“Let’s all make the switch to clean transportation and energy. I’ve made my sustainable revolution. Isn’t it time to start yours?”