Low-Emission Zones, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Footprint: Your Obligations -- Nomadia

29/06/2026
15:34

reading time : 2 min

Lucie Monnot

Content Marketing Manager

Low-emission zones, electric vehicles, carbon footprint: an overview of the obligations ahead!

Is mobility a crucial component of your business? Here are the regulatory developments on the horizon that your company must prepare for now in order to remain compliant and continue operating sustainably across the entire territory.

Two major laws have an impact on how companies manage their mobile activities and their low-carbon transition:

The Mobility Orientation Act (LOM), published in the Official Journal on 26 December 2019, with new provisions due to come into force on 1 January 2023;
The Climate and Resilience Act, arising from the work of the Citizens’ Convention for Climate and published in the Official Journal on 24 August 2021, which aims to accelerate the ecological transition of French society and the economy and which, in the field of transport and mobility, introduces provisions complementary to those of the LOM.

Progressive decarbonization of company fleets

In order to achieve carbon neutrality in land transport by 2050, the LOM requires companies to progressively incorporate into their vehicle fleet a growing proportion of low-CO2-emission vehicles (100% electric or plug-in hybrid).

To date, this obligation applies only to companies with a fleet of more than 100 vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of less than 3.5 tonnes — which includes company cars, executive cars, as well as the majority of vans, light commercial vehicles, and other light utility vehicles.

The quotas to be met apply to the portion of the fleet subject to renewal, not to the fleet as a whole, according to the following schedule:

In 2022, renewals of light commercial vehicles with a GVWR of 2.6 tonnes or more were not subject to the 10% quota. This exemption ends on 1 January 2023.

In principle, nothing prevents you from electrifying your fleet at a faster pace, especially since the European Parliament voted — on 22 June 2022 — to end the sale of new and second-hand diesel and petrol vehicles by 2035, five years earlier than previously provided for under the LOM. While it is too early to know whether this acceleration will be reflected in French law, your company takes little risk by anticipating the full transition of its fleet to electric. This is of course subject to the electric vehicle categories you need actually being available on the market. In particular, you must ensure that their range is suited to the distances covered by your mobile employees and the types of territories in which they operate. For example, if your technicians operate mainly in rural areas, where the charging point network remains incomplete, it may be more sensible to opt for plug-in hybrid vehicles rather than full electric vehicles with greater range, which are significantly more expensive to purchase.

If this question concerns you and is slowing your decision-making, we remind you that Nomadia’s planning and optimization solutions take into account the location of public charging points, the range of electric vehicles, and their charging times when calculating routes.

Mandatory installation of charging points

The density of the charging point network is a sine qua non condition for the electrification of the French vehicle fleet. What is true for private individuals is even more so for companies, which cannot afford to have their service and intervention vehicles immobilized for part of the time due to an insufficient number of charging points. The electrification of a company fleet necessarily goes hand in hand with the installation of high-performance charging points in parking areas reserved for company vehicles.

This obligation is not enshrined in law, but is a matter of common sense if you want to maximize the use of professional electric vehicles. On the other hand, by 2025, the LOM requires companies with a non-residential car park of more than 20 spaces, covered or otherwise, to install charging points at a rate of at least one per 20 parking spaces. This measure is aimed in particular at encouraging employees to switch to electric vehicles for their commutes as well. This point is all the more important given that such journeys will henceforth need to be taken into account in companies’ carbon footprint assessments.

Mandatory integration of Scope 3 in the carbon footprint

Until now, companies required to produce a greenhouse gas emissions assessment (GHG assessment) for each of their establishments with more than 500 employees could limit themselves to Scopes 1 and 2.

As a reminder, Scope 1 covers all greenhouse gases directly emitted by the company (heating in premises, emissions from company-owned vehicles, etc.); Scope 2 covers indirect emissions linked to energy consumption (production processes, etc.).

From 1 January 2023, the inclusion of Scope 3 becomes mandatory in GHG assessments. Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions, in particular the transport of goods and raw materials upstream and downstream of production, as well as employees’ home-to-work commutes. According to ADEME, Scope 3 represents between 50% and 60% of a company’s total GHG emissions, and up to 90% in certain sectors.

The decree of 1 July 2022 introducing this new obligation also increases the amount of the penalties incurred by companies that fail to produce their GHG assessment when required to do so. From 1 January 2023, the maximum penalty will be 10,000 euros, doubled in the event of a repeat offence, compared with 1,500 euros previously.

Increase in the number of low-emission zones

Under the Climate and Resilience Act, all metropolitan urban areas with more than 150,000 inhabitants are required to establish Low-Emission Mobility Zones (ZFE-m) by 31 December 2024. This means that the number of ZFE-m will rise from 10 today to 43, as shown in the map below (Source: Ministry of Ecological Transition).

The establishment of these ZFEs results in restrictions or bans on the circulation of the most polluting vehicles, for both private individuals and businesses, according to the following national schedule:

The law does not set a deadline for Crit’Air 2 vehicles (recent diesel). It is up to elected officials to decide on the timeline. A priority objective is the phasing out of diesel by 2030, with Strasbourg and Lyon targeting 2028. The City of Paris / Greater Paris Metropolis is on a more ambitious schedule: Crit’Air 4 vehicles are already banned from circulating within the perimeter defined by the A86 motorway. From 1 July 2023, the ban will be extended to Crit’Air 3 vehicles and, in 2024, to Crit’Air 2 vehicles.

These restrictions are particularly constraining for companies operating in territories that include ZFE-m zones. In addition to requiring fleets to be upgraded at a rapid pace, these measures often go hand in hand with the introduction, in dense or historic urban centers, of areas prohibiting all vehicle traffic at certain times of day, which can considerably complicate delivery and collection activities and service calls in city centers.

To help with the planning of your routes, our optimization software takes into account the perimeters of existing ZFE-m zones, as well as local regulations restricting access for certain vehicle categories at certain times. They will incorporate future ZFE-m zones and no-traffic zones as they are defined by local authorities.

NB: most of the measures under the LOM and the Climate and Resilience Act that apply to companies are accompanied by financial assistance schemes from the state and, in some cases, from local authorities. Eligibility criteria may vary considerably, but they provide valuable support for companies wishing to act in a civic-minded and responsible manner in the face of the environmental challenges of the coming decades.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ – The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Nomadia

Why Choose Nomadia?

As France’s leading publisher of Smart Mobility SaaS solutions, Nomadia supports more than 175,000 field professionals every day. Our solutions are easy to use, quick to deploy, and deliver significant and immediate return on investment.

Drawing on the expertise of both a software publisher-integrator and a consulting firm, Nomadia’s teams provide tailored support, from data consulting to the deployment of mobile devices. Finally, our technical support team is available 24/7 to assist you.

Who Are Nomadia Solutions Designed For?

Nomadia solutions support the digital transformation of all mobile professionals: field sales representatives, delivery drivers, technicians, auditors, healthcare workers, inspectors, service providers, security patrol officers, experts, and more.

Whether for SMEs or large enterprises, our solutions adapt to businesses of all sizes and across all industries.

How Much Does It Cost?

Nomadia Delivery offers transparent and flexible pricing, which primarily depends on the number of users (for example, planners and dispatchers) rather than a fixed cost per parcel.

Thanks to this model, you can control your delivery costs based on the number of resources (users) involved in route management, providing great flexibility to adjust your subscription according to the size of your fleet and your operational needs.

Is It Compatible with My Current ERP System?

Yes! Nomadia Delivery has been designed to integrate quickly and easily into your existing environment thanks to our powerful and secure APIs. Our solution is compatible with most ERP systems on the market. API integration enables the automatic synchronization of your transport orders, customer orders, and customer information, ensuring smooth and error-free delivery tracking. The solution also offers user-friendly import capabilities with data validation controls, as well as export options in multiple customizable formats.

Is It Suitable for Our Delivery Volume?

Yes, Nomadia Delivery is ideal for companies that manage a high volume of deliveries and want to optimize their routes, create balanced territories for their drivers, and ensure precise tracking of every parcel. Nomadia Delivery adapts to fleets of all sizes!

Can Multiple Warehouses or Depots Be Managed?

Yes, our solution allows you to manage multiple warehouses or depots. It centralizes data and optimizes routes or service operations for each of them.

Is There a Limit to the Number of Stops in Route Optimizations?

No, there is no strict limit to the number of stops in route optimizations. Our solution can handle large volumes of stops and quickly calculate optimized routes.

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