In 2022, the ECF driving school network will separate from its diesel fleet to replace it with gasoline vehicles. The group wants to push its ecological transition by switching to 100% electricity by 2026. An initiative constrained by European regulations.
The driving school group ECF has announced its intention to “green” its vehicle fleet within four to five years. This transition will take place in two stages:
- elimination of all diesel vehicles in 2022
- switch to a 100% electric fleet by 2026
Of the 2,081 vehicles of the French Driving School (ECF), 2,013 are diesels and 68 are electric. The group – a partner of Renault – will replace all of its diesel cars with petrol models. Hill starts may be more difficult …
The manual gearbox in danger?
The second step for the ECF is to switch its entire fleet to 100% electric by 2026. A decision for the moment impossible due to European regulations. Indeed, this imposes the existence of a bridge between the “automatic transmission” license and the “manual transmission” license, corresponding to a seven-hour training course. A fully electrified fleet is therefore not possible as it stands. ” This directive therefore requires us to keep a large part of our fleet in a manual gearbox, therefore in thermal vehicles ”, Explain Bruno Garancher, President of ECF.
To date, only 13% of students in the ECF network automatically choose the “automatic transmission” license. A little surprising choice when we know that the majority of vehicles on the second-hand market are equipped with a manual gearbox. According to figures from the Automotive Platform (PFA), 46% of new cars have a manual transmission. Each year, this share continues to decline in favor of automatic transmissions, which are more efficient and more environmentally friendly. Ultimately, the number of students with an “automatic transmission” license should naturally increase, especially since it could reduce the number of hours of training and its total cost.
