Green.org sat down with Eric Vigouroux, to learn how he has built a life of adventure and entrepreneurship, while also living environmentally friendly and sustainably. Eric is taking part in the La Croisière Verte, where they will set off on 28 October 2024 from Ouarzazate (Maroc) to rejoin the Cap (Southern Africa) starting on January 2025 after a journey of more than 14,000km. Their secret is to roll slowly with very light speeds to limit their energy intake to the maximum. This will allow them to have time to meet the local populations, to admire the evolution of the pasages, to produce beautiful images and to explain the sensations of the Green Cross.
Their main objectives are to find out that it is possible to park long distances with light electric vehicles, to get the first carbon-free route in Africa, and to put in advance the extra power of the continent for renewable energy production.
Eric, thank you for being here. Tell us a little bit about your background.
I’m French, dad of 4 children, entrepreneur, adventurer and former off-road race car driver. After 20 years of desert racing (Dakar rally, FIA World cup) I have decided about 10 years ago to end my carrier. With all the challenges our planet is facing, I thought that it was time for me to reconsider my racing activities and try to find a more sustainable way to travel and to discover remote places.
What would you do with $1 billion dollars?
With no hesitation, I would invest in clean mobility and/or renewable energy production. I believe that our time brings huge challenges but also great opportunities, especially in the mobility sector, which is very exciting. For the first time over the past 100 years, we have a chance to rethink pretty much everything about mobility.
Why do you think sustainability is such an important topic today?
Because we have no choice. The global warming is a reality that anyone can observe, the climat is changing very fast, so it’s urgent to act now in order to limit human activities effects as soon as possible and before it’s too late.
What do you envision your industry looking like in ten years?
Mobility is a sector which will change drastically within the next 10 years. No doubt that the energy storage technology will improve very fast so the electric vehicle will soon meet all people’s expectations in term of range and cost. I see also a high demand for smaller and lighter vehicles in the near future, featuring just the essential functions. In other words, we don’t necessarily need a 3 tons SUV full of gadgets to transport only one person on a daily basis. I’m convinced that the young generations want to change that which is a very good thing in my opinion.