{"id":1290,"date":"2025-07-22T16:28:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T14:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/?p=1290"},"modified":"2025-07-22T16:50:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T14:50:40","slug":"green-mobility-how-the-transition-is-reshaping-urban-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/2025\/07\/22\/green-mobility-how-the-transition-is-reshaping-urban-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Green mobility: how the transition is reshaping urban space"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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\n Green mobility: how the transition is reshaping urban space <\/h2>\n
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As part of the think tank \u201c2030, Investing for Tomorrow\u201d, the working group \u201cUrbanisation \u2013 A Marshall Plan for the City of the Future: Towards a Low-Carbon Urban Model\u201d, co-led by Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, convened on July 1st for its final session, focused on the urban transformations driven by green mobility, the opportunities it creates, and the remaining barriers to its deployment.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n

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How will green mobility transform tomorrow\u2019s cities? And what investment opportunities will emerge?
These were the central questions explored during the fourth and final workshop of the working group \u201cUrbanisation \u2013 A Marshall Plan for the City of the Future: Towards a Low-Carbon Urban Model\u201d, co-led by Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

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The participants first assessed the current state of the transition, and their verdict was unequivocal: the process is anything but linear. \u201cThe pace of the shift to electric mobility varies widely and depends on the type of green transport,\u201d explained Christophe Gurtner, CEO and founder of Forsee Power, a company specialised in manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Multi-Speed Green Mobility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the two-wheeler segment, Gurtner observed a sharp uptake of electric bikes in urban areas for journeys up to 20 km\u2014driven notably by growing restrictions on car use in city centres. This trend is increasingly encroaching on the market for both electric and combustion-engine scooters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe switch from combustion to electric often means doubling or even tripling the price, which inevitably changes the target demographic,\u201d Gurtner noted. \u201cAs a result, people looking to move away from combustion engines are turning to electric bikes instead. We\u2019re essentially witnessing the collapse of the scooter market, for both thermal and electric models.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to private vehicles, the transition is more complex. Here, cost is not the main barrier\u2014habits are. \u201cResistance to change is largely tied to concerns around range and charging infrastructure,\u201d Gurtner added. \u201cIn cities and on highways, it\u2019s not a major issue\u2014there are charging points everywhere. But in smaller towns and rural areas, it\u2019s a real challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jean-Philippe Desmartin, Head of Responsible Investment at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, the early wave of adopters has now reached its limit. \u201cIn the beginning, it was driven by first movers\u2014mainly affluent populations opting for electric vehicles,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s less true today. We now need to move to the next phase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, urban utility vehicles\u2014such as delivery vans\u2014are transitioning faster, as their routes are predictable and allow for overnight charging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The picture is more mixed for heavy-duty vehicles. While trucks\u2014whether urban or long-haul\u2014are slower to adapt, public transport is showing more promising results. According to Gurtner, nearly a third of the French bus fleet now runs on low-carbon energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapting Cities and Industry to New Mobility Models<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beyond fleet-specific issues, the rise of low-carbon mobility presents broader challenges\u2014particularly the need for cities to evolve. This is especially true for older, historic urban centres, which must work within the constraints of existing infrastructure. According to Gurtner, cities must adopt a multimodal mindset\u2014combining bikes, trams, trains, and other transport modes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another major challenge is retooling industrial systems that have been shaped around combustion engines for over a century. This shift requires significant investment and time. European industry, which long resisted change, is now lagging behind\u2014especially compared to China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reality is echoed by Emmanuel Robinet, Portfolio Manager at CDC Croissance. While EV penetration is increasing in Europe, he noted, it remains lower than initially expected. \u201cIn 2024, we\u2019re looking at penetration levels around 12\u201313%,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s far below what was originally projected. As public market investors, we\u2019re seeing a glaring lack of investment opportunities in the space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More fundamentally, Robinet sees a disconnect between the investment horizons of financial markets and the timelines needed for businesses driving the transition. \u201cWe lack long-term investors who are willing to commit equity over several years,\u201d he said. \u201cMost investors have relatively short-term objectives\u2014they\u2019re unwilling to wait more than five years for returns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address this, his firm advocates for the creation of new savings products specifically designed for long-term investment horizons. \u201cThis would allow us to raise capital over longer timeframes and re-engage long-term investors\u2014those whose timelines are better aligned with the development needs of transition-focused companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partnering with the Public Sector<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, private investors have a key role to play alongside public authorities in financing the energy and environmental transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe responsibility of private investors is all the more important given the tight fiscal conditions faced by many governments, particularly in France,\u201d Desmartin stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe take a holistic approach,\u201d added Alexis Bossard, International Equity Portfolio Manager at Edmond de Rothschild AM. \u201cOur goal is to support the entire French and European ecosystem linked to the energy transition. While the current environment is not particularly favourable, the balance of our strategy has enabled us to deliver financial performance and meet our clients\u2019 return expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reinventing Urban Space<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite the barriers, the shift to low-carbon mobility also opens new investment avenues for financial stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example is the growing appeal of urban space freed up by reducing parking\u2014both underground and above ground. \u201cUnderground car parks could be repurposed to serve as charging hubs for electric buses or delivery vehicles,\u201d explained Alphonse Coulot, co-founder of the Road Decarbonisation Alliance and lecturer at HEC. \u201cBut it\u2019s vital that this is done clearly\u2014so everyone can easily identify spaces dedicated to cars versus other uses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where tensions do exist between cars and other forms of mobility, cities are beginning to innovate. Coulot cited several Italian cities as examples. \u201cThese typically congested Latin-style cities have repurposed parking spaces as commercial or cultural areas\u2014caf\u00e9s, temporary stalls, or even spaces for queueing and coat check areas at cultural venues.\u201d This approach helps declutter indoor spaces and makes public venues more functional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In France, however, these uses have largely remained limited to caf\u00e9s and restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho Gets the Space?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, participants agreed that sustainable urban mobility can only succeed with the right infrastructure\u2014adequate charging points and well-located car parks, especially in the suburbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe city of Strasbourg is a strong example,\u201d said Gurtner. \u201cIts star-shaped tram network connects to car parks where people from surrounding villages can park and switch to public transport. It works\u2014especially because the city is bike-, tram- and bus-friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Coulot warned against placing park-and-ride facilities too close to city centres\u2014a mistake made in the 2000s and 2010s. \u201cIf they\u2019re too close to the city, they don\u2019t encourage people to leave their cars early in the journey,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to put them further out. When they\u2019re close to home, people are more inclined to park there and continue their trip using other modes of transport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coulot concluded by emphasising that most of the technical solutions already exist\u2014the real challenge is political: \u201cThe question now is simply this: who do we give the space to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The participants first assessed the current state of the transition, and their verdict was unequivocal: the process is anything but linear. \u201cThe pace of the shift to electric mobility varies widely and depends on the type of green transport,\u201d explained Christophe Gurtner, CEO and founder of Forsee Power, a company specialised in manufacturing batteries for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-urbanization"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1290"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1291,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290\/revisions\/1291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}