Pepper Motion GmbH and REV Mobilities, pioneers in electric mobility, want to bring commercial vehicle retrofits as OEM series to France in the short term.
With this first German-French cooperation in the field of retrofitting, Pepper is targeting one of the strongest bus and truck markets in Europe with high potential. The Pepper market strategy for France was presented at a press conference in Paris on March 15, 2022 with representatives of the authorities and politics. A valuable boost for the use of retrofit solutions in the commercial vehicle sector will be provided by the first use of retrofit solutions in the commercial vehicle sector will be provided by the first alternative drive subsidy program recently presented by the French government. By 2030, Pepper expects to sell approximately 5,000 electrified buses and trucks over 7.5 t on the French market in partnership with REV.
Sustainability and Decarbonization
As a winner of several international awards for innovative technologies already available in series quality, Pepper offers electrification solutions for used commercial vehicles with its etrofit kits, helping them to an environmentally friendly, emission-free second life – and keeping them at the cutting edge of electromobility technology.
Sustainability and decarbonization is accelerated to a new level with the retrofit approach for the transport sector. The outstanding record in terms of economic efficiency and resource-saving environmental and climate protection for meeting the EU’s CO2 targets with the Clean Vehicles Directive (CVD), which has been in force since summer 2021, is unattainable for new electric and diesel vehicles. At the same time, these are already pressing issues in French transport and climate policy and among transport operators and fleet managers. The social trend towards more environmental awareness and re-use instead of recycling enjoys maximum support with Pepper’s state-of-the-art technology.
REV has a name for this: Upcycling.
Strong Partnership
Arnaud Pigounides, founder and CEO of REV Mobilities: «France has an opportunity that could not be missed: with an entire existing fleet of 40,8 millions vehicles (98% thermal diesel or gas), Retrofit for commercial vehicles is the only solution that can help reducing Green House Gas quick, and help our customers to enjoy their vehicles longer and cost effectively. Together with Pepper motion, we aim for converting at least 5.000 zeroemission buses and trucks in France till 2030. It’s good for companies and budgets, good for circular economy, good for cities and countryside air. And on top of that, good for our wellbeing with less noise in urban and suburban areas». «As part of our internationalization strategy, the French market has high priority for Pepper», says Andreas Hager, CEO of Pepper motion GmbH. «Pepper is already active in other European countries such as Poland, Italy, Austria, and Bulgaria. As a technology
leader, we are convinced that our innovative solutions – in close cooperation with our new partner REV Mobilities – will enable us to offer French policymakers as well as all transport companies and fleet operators a fast and cost-efficient way to achieve the mobility transformation towards zero emissions».
High Market Potential
As of 2021, there are around 95,000 buses (city buses and coaches) with an average age of 7.1 years and approximately 580,000 trucks >3.5 t with an average age of 7.2 years in use on France’s roads. A perfect vehicle age, therefore, to give existing vehicles an economical extension to their service life as an environmentally friendly electric vehicle with a conversion.
The first Pepper retrofitting solutions available for the French market are the Mercedes Benz Citaro C1 and Citaro C2 bus models and the Mercedes-Benz Actros and Atego truck models, which are designed for trucks weighing more than 7.5 tons. Further models such as the Iveco Crossway for inter-regional public transport as well as additional truck models are planned for 2023 and beyond, in cooperation with REV in France.
Pepper believes that the French market has similar potential to the German market. The law to legalize the conversion of passenger cars, co-initiated by REV Mobilities founder Arnaud Pigounides, provides the foundation for this. A recently announced government subsidy for the electrification of heavy commercial vehicles now offers additional incentives: «We are pleased to initiate further support programs for the electrification of the commercial vehicle sector together with our partner REV Mobilities and in close
cooperation with policymakers in France, and to develop commensurately essential catalogs of criteria on the quality requirements for retrofitting. The aim is to meet the European Union’s decarbonization targets and comply with the internationally recognized ISO 26262 standard for functional safety in the automotive industry», say Pigounides and Hager, the major promoters of a zero-emission and sustainable commercial vehicle sector, highlighting their short-term goals.
A public transport offensive is already planned for the second quarter of 2022. REV Mobilities and Pepper are currently planning a nationwide roadshow with the etrofit bus lasting several weeks and traveling to the most important regions of French public
