ANNA WHITEHOUSE -

AS 24 EUROPE PRESIDENT

Can you please share with us a bit of your

history in TotalEnergies/AS 24?

AW: I joined TotalEnergies in the UK in

1992 working initially in the Special Fluids

Department and subsequently in Lubricants.

Between 2000-2010 I split my time working

in several positions in 2 countries in Asia

– Singapore and The Philippines. I came

to Singapore initially as VP lubricants, after

that I moved to the Philippines as a Retail

Manager before taking up the position of

Managing Director. In 2009 I returned to

Singapore as VP Specialties. A year later

I moved back to Europe, to Paris, into the

Strategy Department, where I headed of the

Strategy and Marketing Department for a

couple of years before taking the position

as director Marine Fuels and returning

in Singapore. In 2017 I was appointed

Operations Director for Western Europe

(DOO), based in France, finally moving to

my current position as CEO of AS 24 in

November 2021.

On reflection I can only say that I’ve been

very fortunate in my career and I’m really

grateful to have had such rich and diverse

opportunities.

Can you tell us what is AS 24 strategy

today and how it is integrated in Company’s

climate Ambition?

AW: Firstly, I’d like to share some facts about

AS 24; today we are a team of 420 (47%

women / 53% men), located in 12 Hubs

across Europe, serving 26000 customers

with operations across 29 countries. Our

offer covers a range of mobility services

including Fuel, Toll transactions, VAT

recovery, Ferry, Parking & Wash facilities

through a diverse range of partnerships. On

the majority of AS 24 sites there are no staff,

so all payment transactions are via Card that

is accepted today in 1500 stations across

Europe (of which 400 Company Owned

sites), 400 Parking and 1100 Wash locations.

The AS 24 strategy is summarized in our

roadmap that is fully aligned with the MS

Roadmap and the Companys climate

ambition along the 4 pillars Customer

Climate Deliver Together

Customer AS 24 has been since its

creation and remains equally so today fully

focused on our customers in all decisions

and actions We speak continually of How

to improve the Customer Journey

Climate Actions here center on reducing

our carbon footprint on scope 1 and 2

emissions by internal actions and on scope

3 by accompanying our customers in their

transition from the use of diesel towards

cleaner energies notably bioCNG LNG

HVO EV Hydrogen

• Deliver: This relates to delivering a strong

performance in both safety and financial

performances

• Together: This pillar refers to the Team, and

our objectives in training, development and

diversity.

Can you tell us more about the evolution

of demand from our carrier customers in

the face of the NetZero ambition and new

energies, the AS 24 strategy, the major

challenges, etc.

AW: The Heavy Goods Truck market is still

predominantly using diesel for its transport

needs, due to the complete flexibility it

provides to both the driver and transport

operator regarding driving distance and

refueling options.

But more recently the industry has become

increasingly aware of the impact of CO

2

emissions and the interest in low CO

2

alternatives has significantly increased.

Recent confirmation in the EU Legislation

requiring the Industry and OEM (Original

Equipment Manufacturers) to decarbonize

their HGV fleet and reduce their CO

2

emissions by 45% in 2030 relative the

2019 is also a key driver in the change.

In the short term the market made an

initial step towards the use of NGV

(Natural Gas for Vehicles) both as CNG

(compressed natural gas) & LNG (liquified

Natural Gas). In France, last May 2023,

AS 24, together with TotalEnergies

Marketing France, have gone a step further,

with the offer of bioCNG across all our

40 Company Owned sites, either

containing a minimum of 50% or 100% bio.

BioFuels in the form of HVO100 have

also been launched in several countries

(notably Italy, across the Benelux and in

Germany). In France the legislation does

not yet permit the marketing of HVO in

public stations (though this is expected

to change in 2024).

The next milestone in Truck

decarbonization will be the switch to

Electric (EV) and Hydrogen (H

2

) vehicles,

with EV vehicles for Long-Haul transport

expected onto the market from 2024,

and H

2

following in 2026/2027. EV battery

technology is key to this success and

notably the commercialization of the

MCS (Magawatt Charging System).

In respect of Electric Trucks, we are working

closely with TECS (TotalEnergies Charging

Solutions) to develop our commercial offer,

and we plan to open next year 5 multi-

energies sites with a full low or zero carbon

offers To support this in 2024 AS 24 will

invest at least 50 of its CAPEX annually in

low or nocarbon products and services

Finally all our customers irrespective

of fuel use want perfection when they

come to our sites both in respect of

fuel availability and a seamless card

transaction experience To this end we

have a dedicated maintenance team

surveilling all sites daily and we have

developed selfcare options enabling

customers to personalize their card use

options to include specific countries

services washparkingferry and we

have also increased our hotline scope

to assist them 247 in 45 countries and

in 30 languages

You have recently celebrated AS 24’s

35

th

anniversary: what makes AS 24

specific and differentiates you from your

competitors?

AW: I believe the answer can simply be

summarized in 3 key areas: Orientated

towards the customer in all our decisions;

Reactivity and Excellence in customer

service; Innovation, notably with an Expertise

in monetics and payment systems.

Where do we stand with new energy

solutions for E-Truck chargers and new

energy solutions for Trucks?

AW: Our roadmap is defined across

4 areas where we see that batteries will

need to be recharged:

1. At the Truck ‘Home’ site or at a shared

Depot;

2. At a Truck Parking, typically for when

parked up overnight

3. On the road, at a station, with a Fast

recharge option, to permit an additional

driving distance of 100km – 200km;

4. At the final destination that could likely

be either at a customer premise or at an

interim logistics depot.

AS 24 is present in many countries in

the same premises as the MS subsidiary:

How do AS 24 affiliates cooperate with

MS affiliates? And what is the value

of such cooperation?

AW: The typical AS 24 affiliate is a relatively

small team of between 10 – 25 people.

As such we fully embrace the spirit of

OTOC (One TotalEnergies One Country)

that, wherever possible, permits us to share

the same premises as our MS and other

Company colleagues.

The advantages are numerous but

clearly this joint presence allows for

a Mutualization of the local resources,

Optimization of Company process

and resources (HR, Purchase, HSEQ,

Communication), A single face of

Company in representation with

Authorities (Politics and fiscal), Career

opportunities, and importantly A sense

of belonging to the wider company Team

through joint events (WSD, Sustainab’ALL

Day, Ethics Days), and through other

Team building events.

Do you have a message to all our readers?

AW: Very simply, supplying the energy

and mobility needs of the Truck Segment

has been at the heart of AS 24 for the past

35 years and since its acquisition into the

company by Elf in 1997

The future is in full change today as the

industry embraces the objective to reduce

its carbon footprint Throughout this

change excellence in station operation

card Toll coverage and a focused 247

customer service that has been evident

since the foundation of AS 24 will be even

more critical

However with the combination of the full

AS 24 Team across all countries and the

close involvement of our colleagues in NMM

GMOB SDM TECS H2 Mobility we are

fully motivated towards accompanying our

customers on this journey

What can I say The future is exciting