#AskPP – Episode 6

Felix: Is that alright? Sorry. Ok. Hello, my name is Felix. Mr Pouyanné: Do you think it's feasible to phase out combustion-powered by 2030?

Patrick Pouyanné: That is an excellent question, Félix, although I think Carlos Tavares may be better placed to answer than me. In Europe, we’re targeting 2035 rather than 2030, but hitting that target is a must. The EU has banned the sale of new combustion-powered cars from 2035 onwards, but that doesn’t mean we will no longer see those vehicles on our roads, as people will be allowed to continue using the cars they already own. Non-electric cars will probably still be around until 2045. To be honest, the technological aspects are primarily in car manufacturers’ hands, but we definitely have the know-how to supply the electricity that is needed. With electric vehicles, what’s key is establishing whether the electricity used is decarbonised, i.e. green. Here in France, our energy mix is pretty green (nuclear-renewables). Very green, actually. It’s highly decarbonised. In certain countries, electricity is still primarily produced with coal which means that electric vehicles there won’t actually be that green.

Thierry: Mr Pouyanné, don’t you think It’s up to you to make an effort for the environment, rather than us, the users?

Patrick Pouyanné: That is a very good question, Thierry. Producing decarbonised energy is all well and good, but if our customers are driving combustion-powered cars and no oil is available to fuel them, we’re going to run into problems. They won’t be impressed. To answer your question, everyone needs to make an effort. We need to make it easy for absolutely everyone to switch to electric vehicles. It is likely to cost people more, so the Government will need to help by subsidising the purchase price. And it is up to us to install charge points. We unquestionably have a role to play as an energy supplier. But if customers don’t follow our lead, or if they say that adopting this new type of energy is too expensive, we’ll hit a brick wall. So as I’ve said, the only way to address climate change is to all work together.

Mariette: Do you have an idea for a decent way to heat your home and to cook? It’s a real struggle at the moment.

Patrick Pouyanné: Mariette, I think your question is fundamentally about energy prices. I don’t know whether you use gas, electricity or wood to heat your home, but our mission here at TotalEnergies is to keep energy prices as low as possible. That being said, we don’t produce all the energy we sell – some of it is purchased from suppliers. It is true that in Europe right now, due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, energy prices have risen, so we’re rolling out measures like we did last year to give customers living in low-income households a helping hand with their bills.