Published on : 25/05/2022 – 23:12Modified : 25/05/2022 – 23:10
Paris (AFP) – The main cause of the two Bluebus (Bolloré) electric bus fires that occurred in April in Paris has been “very likely” identified, which should lead to a recall of the defective series, the group’s CEO, Cyrille Bolloré, said on Wednesday.
“We have very likely identified the root cause and sent letters to our customers,” said the manager at the general meeting of shareholders.
A Bluebus electric bus caught fire in the capital’s 13th arrondissement on April 29, a few weeks following another bus fire in the 5th arrondissement. These two incidents caused no injuries.
After the second disaster, the RATP immediately withdrew from circulation, “as a precaution”, the 149 electric buses of the series produced by Blue Solutions, a company of the Bolloré group – i.e. nearly a third of its bus fleet. electrical.
According to the first results of the investigation carried out by Bluebus, the main problem would not come from an “electrochemical defect” but “perhaps from the assembly of an electronic component on a given series”, indicated Cyrille Bollore.
The recall and reproduction of the modules would cause an additional expense of 10 million euros for the group in 2022, he added.
RATP – associated with Ile-de-France Mobilités, with an independent expert from the National Institute for the Industrial Environment and Risks (Ineris) – and the Land Transport Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA-TT) have also launched investigations.
Independent investigation
“We will not be satisfied with this announcement”, reacted the general manager of Ile-de-France Mobilités, Laurent Probst.
“These buses will only be put back into circulation following the independent investigation that we have launched” with the RATP.
“Ile-de-France Mobilités has chosen the safety of travelers and drivers. (…) We apply an absolute precautionary principle”, he underlined
The first fire was caused by “a fault on the battery”, he said on May 9.
For its part, the RATP “takes note” of Mr. Bolloré’s statements, but it “has not received any letter from Bluebus / Bolloré, to inform it of the probable identification of the cause of the fire on the vehicle of line 71 (April 29), according to a spokesperson.
The Régie “has no information to confirm the origin of the fire”, adding that the investigations it launched with Ile-de-France Mobilités following the fires “are still in progress”.
“As a reminder, the RATP and Ile-de-France Mobilités have asked Bluebus/Bolloré for a complete expertise in order to provide explanations on the causes of these incidents and to propose an action plan to allow the 149 buses to be put back into operation. concerned in complete safety”, insisted the spokesperson for the Régie.
The Bolloré group, mainly active in logistics and the media (Vivendi), also has several activities related to electricity storage. In particular, it is developing a system of solid Lithium Metal Polymer (LMP) batteries, competing with the Lithium ion batteries most commonly used for electric vehicles.
“It’s a difficult blow, a hard blow”, admitted Wednesday Vincent Bolloré – father of Cyrille – during the general meeting of the Compagnie de l’Odet, which controls the group bearing his name.
The manager hailed the “scientific and technological competence” of his electrical systems division. But, “when you have to manufacture yourself, which is the case with our buses, it’s complicated”, in particular because a certain number of components are manufactured by third parties, he indicated.
© 2022 AFP