The attacks on the plug-in hybrid vehicle by NGOs are, with fairly strong arguments, mainly for reasons of environmental policy. The issue also deserves, in France in particular, an examination in industrial and strategic terms. From this point of view, despite the success of Stellantis and its four plug-in hybrid models assembled in France, it is not appropriate to continue with a plug-in hybrid policy that mainly boosts German and Swedish sales.
In Europe, public policies to reduce emissions are mainly restrictive or incentive policies and marginally industrial or R&D policies. However, as the France Stratégie report of May 2018 on Public policies in favour of very low emission vehicles underlined, it is the countries that have real industrial and strategic projects for electric or electrified vehicles that are leading the way.
From this point of view, the report already underlined:
i) the opposition between China and the United States is emblematic in that it puts the nation without an industrial policy in a very defensive position compared to the one that does have one;
ii) the EU mainly emphasises the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, within the EU, at the time, only the United Kingdom seemed to have an industrial project involving strengthening the supply chain and supporting R&D and training. read more