France’s strategy calls for purchasing bonuses to go towards light electric vehicles

Bonuses and other incentives for electric car purchases could be better aimed at lighter vehicles and more modest households, France Strategy, an organization affiliated with the prime minister, advised in a note published on Thursday.

In particular, this couldsend an incentive signal in favor of buying smaller and lighter cars, which allow to minimize the carbon impact compared to a thermal car, while limiting the increase in public costs associated with the ecological bonus.“, according to the authors. The provision of the ecological bonus can also be gradually adapted to the economic situation of households, like the transformation bonus, the authors of the note emphasize. In addition, the weight penalty, which depends on CO2 emissions and applies from 1.8 tonnes, should not only be strengthened for polluting cars, but also be extended to electric cars, according to the France Strategy.

The fine will already be increased in 2023, reaching a maximum of €50,000 for a large Porsche SUV or a muscular BMW sedan (which emit more than 225 grams of CO2/km).

“Anticipating this change in the penalty will offset the increase in government spending dedicated to the environmental bonus as a result of the increase in sales of electric vehicles through additional tax revenues.“, – emphasizes the strategy of France. To help the most modest households, the leasing system for 100 euros per month is possible and effective, but only for small electric cars, emphasizes France Strategy.

In 2021, especially “Restoration of France“, more than 270,000 bonuses were awarded for the purchase of light vehicles, for an amount of approximately 1 billion euros and an average bonus of 3,900 euros.