Practical, ecological and even recently profitable: Blablacar, which has more than twenty million registered users in France, is established as a model of an innovative start-up. “The world leader in carpooling is French: it’s a source of pride! », marveled Emmanuel Macron in 2022. But, to get there, the start-up benefited from discreet support endorsed by the State, to the tune of several tens of millions of euros per year, according to information from the World. An opaque income of which Blablacar was the almost exclusive beneficiary for a decade and continues to benefit today.
The story dates back to 2012. The platform, then called Covoiturage.fr, is still looking for its economic model after six years of existence. An unexpected windfall was then offered to him by a large French group: Total.
The company, which has since become TotalEnergies, must comply with an environmental obligation imposed by the State on all energy suppliers. The oil company must finance each year a certain number of actions promoting energy sobriety, the effectiveness of which is measured by energy savings certificates (EEC). This polluter-pays system requires it to seek potential CEE “resources” from State-approved structures, such as insulation work, efficient boiler installations, rail freight systems, etc.
TotalEnergies has another idea: why not finance the development of carpooling, when private vehicles only transport on average 1.4 passengers on short trips?
The oil company then offers a deal: for each new registered user, Blablacar will generate CEE, which it will sell to TotalEnergies for a sum agreed in advance. This tailor-made assembly is validated by the Ministry of Ecology, but the precise contours of this “specific EEC operation” are kept secret.
A partnership between TotalEnergies and Blablacar is publicly announced. Since 2012, the platform has offered 20 euro fuel cards from TotalEnergies to its new subscribers. But this commercial offer is only the tip of the iceberg. At the same time, the oil company pays several tens of euros directly to Blablacar for each registered driver. The EECs quickly become an asset for the start-up in search of new users and liquidity, an argument for attracting investors and an important advantage over its competitors. “Without the CEE, Blablacar would never have developed as far and as strong”observes Lancelot Salomon, CEO of Ynstant, a competing platform.
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