Innovative business models could be one of the keys to this prospect, particularly in order to speed up the transition from the petrol car to the electric car and to effectively reduce the dependency on petrol.
That Thomas Edison succeeded in his mass-market penetration with the electric light bulb a century ago, at a time when all lamps ran off kerosene or whale oil, was not only thanks to his technological innovation, but also to his pertinent business model [1]. Thanks to Thomas Edison, the electric light bulb was less expensive than the kerosene lamp for the consumer, yet also provided a superior quality service: better light, odourless, no fire risk, etc.
Today, the start up Envirofit [2], based within Colorado State University, has adopted a similar approach. It has developed highly efficient, very good value (€18) mini stoves for the 3.5 billion people worldwide who cook on woodstoves. “Envirofit is a commercial approach to resolving a global health problem. During our research, we realised that we were not going to sell these mini stoves uniquely for their environmental impact or their health impact, but firstly for their economic impact. We’re focusing on aid”.
It’s because these mini stoves are very good value (€18), practical (they cut cooking time in half) and ultra efficient (they allow huge fuel savings: between 60% and 80% less wood or dried cowpats) that they are being bought by people on low incomes.
And this purchase results in a positive impact on health (emissions reduced by 80%) and on the environment: forests, biodiversity, climate. Instead of lecturing people and telling them “you’re going to destroy your children’s health” or “you’re destroying the forests”, Envirofit is offering a practical solution, which is centred on human development and is economically transparent. For very poor families, Envirofit has developed a microfinancing approach.
In the car sector, the company Better Place [3], strategic partner of Renault in Israel and Denmark, has developed a business model that allows people to drive a 100%-electric car, run on wind-powered electricity, at a lower cost than with an equivalent petrol-driven car [4]. This type of innovation really is key to the mass-market penetration of renewable energies and the reduction of petrol dependency.
It’s a question of an innovative and positive approach. Instead of making motorists who use a petrol-driven car feel guilty (or worse, trying to punish them), by telling them “you’re going to destroy the planet!” or making them sit through environmental disaster films, BetterPlace has developed an innovative business model that allows the 100%- electric car to be sold for the same price as its thermic equivalent. Moreover, this business plan also corresponds to the manufacturer Renault's choice for the commercialisation of its range of electric vehicles.
Francis Pisani, leaving the TED 2009 conference in Long Beach, California: “It’s a different frame of mind. Instead of seeing what makes an idea difficult to achieve, they’re imagining what has to be done to make it achievable.”
Acting efficiently from an environmental point of view means transforming ecology into a green growth opportunity, instead of passing it off as a constraint that leads to degrowth. Conservation of the environment and health is and will only be possible with solutions that are economically transparent and therefore socially acceptable.
Notes:
[1] How to jump start the clean-tech economy
[2] Envirofit - Making the World Fit for Humanity
[3] BetterPlace, the global provider of electric vehicle networks and services
[4] The revolution of the electric car 2.0 (in French)
Olivier Daniélo coordinates the Objectif Terre des Hommes blog, the blog for green technologies helping human development (www.electron-economy.org). He holds a DESS (postgraduate degree taken after a Master’s) in environmental sciences and enjoyed a multicultural educational experience in France, Spain, Germany and Mexico. Originally from Brittany, he has been living in Mexico for 3 years where he actively promotes renewable energies and electro-mobility. Favourite quotation: “I prefer to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing” - Amory Lovins
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