Practical information
As part of the Ifri Energy Breakfast Roundtable series, a seminar with Lew Fulton, Senior Transport Energy Specialist, IEA et Thomas C. Luthy, Distributed Energy Resources Global Leader, IBM, Energy & Utilities. Chaired by William C. Ramsay, Senior Fellow and Director du Programme Ifri Energy and Jacques Lesourne, Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Ifri Energy Program
To listen to automobile manufacturers in Geneva last month, an electric vehicle (EV) will soon be in your garage. EVs are billed as the answer to increasing dependence on “insecure” foreign oil, unsustainable inefficiencies in transportation design, growing contribution of transport to carbon emissions, urban pollution, unemployment in the sector and a host of other ills. EVs indeed appear as one path to achieve European Union longer term CO2 reduction objectives, innovation and competitiveness. The European Commission will soon present an action plan on “clean and energy efficient cars”. Before research budgets, state aids, supporting/enabling legislation and new infrastructures are planned by policy makers, it is opportune to assess how real, beneficial and accessible this technology is.
Are EVs just another technology flavor of the hour or will they truly contribute to these virtuous policy goals? How do small scale demonstrations of the technologies and infrastructure scale up? Will battery technology, infrastructure and cost restrain deployment? Do consumers really want to drive electric vehicles? What will be the source of electricity to recharge the batteries? On April 29, we hope at least to frame many of these issues and perhaps dispel a few doubts
Other events
From Ambition to Action: Exploring Technological Partnerships with India
The 16th EU-India Summit, held on January 27th in New Delhi with European leaders António Costa, Ursula von der Leyen, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marks a significant milestone in deepening EU-India relations. At the same time, official bilateral visits from EU member states are on the rise, including that of the French President, who visited India in February to participate in the Artificial Intelligence Summit. As India asserts its technological ambitions and seeks to reduce its dependence on China, Europe is stepping up its efforts to diversify its strategic partnerships.
The Enlargement of the European Union: A Strategic Choice? France, the Western Balkans and the EU in an Uncertain Geopolitical Context
Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought the enlargement of the European Union back to the centre of European strategic debates. In this context, the Western Balkans have regained heightened visibility in discussions on the continent’s security, at a time when the international environment is marked by a growing number of destabilising factors.