World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development provides the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight on our engineers, who work tirelessly to advance electric mobility, such as Guillaume, our Director of Innovation and IP Project Partnerships.

A car enthusiast, he is driven by a clear vision: the future of mobility must be clean, sustainable and accessible to all.

Here is his story:

Was the concept of sustainable development a driving force in your decision to become an engineer?
 
I first became passionate about cars when I was looking for solutions to minimise the environmental impact of mobility. (In the late 1990s, the main concerns were reducing car fuel consumption (and therefore CO2 emissions) and reducing pollutant emissions (HC/CO/NOx/Particulates), which have in fact been significantly reduced with the various EURO1/2/3/4/5/6/7 standards.

How do you combine engineering and sustainable development in your work?
 
In our society, which focuses on constant innovation and overconsumption, the concept of sustainable development is important, but it must necessarily go hand in hand with the development of solutions that: 
-    Offer affordable mobility solutions for everyone. Everyone is affected in their daily lives by this quest to reduce our carbon footprint. Each of our actions has an impact.
-    Minimise the environmental impact of mobility. Currently, battery-powered electric mobility is the most efficient solution.
-    Minimise the environmental impact of battery production by optimising manufacturing processes and ensuring batteries are recyclable.
-    provide sustainable technologies with a long battery life, and even a second life, before they are recycled.

This year's theme is 'Building a sustainable future through engineering'. ACC is participating in the transformation of the automotive industry by playing an active role in the transition to electric vehicles. How do you perceive ACC's mission in this context?
 
A sustainable future cannot rely on technology alone, but on the choices that each individual makes. I also try to be consistent in my personal choices.
However, ACC is contributing by:
-    Enabling the arrival of new electric vehicles, which remain the most effective solution for decarbonisation;
-    Enabling the emergence of a European battery ecosystem. With determination and perseverance, we will succeed in implementing this project.
-    Securing its supply chain through responsible purchasing
-    Minimising the environmental impact of its activities with suppliers, and developing solutions that require less energy and encourage recycling through R&D.