“I would rather accompany our compatriots to help them buy vehicles that consume less fuel than continue to pay for part of their gas tank,” the presidential candidate for re-election said during a first campaign speech in Aubervilliers on the 17th. March. Rest assured, Emmanuel Macron is not proposing to dive into the coffers of the state to finance the purchase of an electric car for all French households. Nor does it imagine imposing on our domestic manufacturers the manufacture of a single model, at the cost price set arbitrarily by the administration.
No, behind the formula of 100,000 electric cars for 100 euros a month hides nothing more and nothing less than a subsidized long-term rental mechanism. Understand that the state would assume the amount of the monthly payment beyond the first hundred euros. The aim of this membership voucher, which does not say its name and is very similar to Anne Hidalgo’s “social leasing” proposal, is to “support the energy transition” and reduce the monthly cost of the electric car. a “lower than the cost of a gas vehicle”.
State aid of 50 million euros for electric driving at less than 100 euros per month
Who could benefit from this generosity? The outlines of this device mentioned by Emmanuel Macron remain vague. We still don’t know what the income and use conditions may be (minimum distance between home and work). However our colleagues from BFM-TV they have obtained some details and believe that the socio-medical professions will be targeted as a priority, as well as young drivers.
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Candidate Macron evokes about 50 million euros a year, enough to fund a fleet of 100,000 “carbon-free cars”. That is, an amount of 500 euros per year and per household beneficiary. “Nothing to go very far,” says a car dealer who points out that renting a Renault ZOE costs no less than 169 euros a month, compared to 89 euros a month for an electric Renault Twingo with a very modest range (190 kilometers). ).
Should we then understand that behind the term “low carbon cars” are rechargeable hybrids as well as purely electric cars? Macron’s campaign doesn’t say that. Perhaps because it seems dangerous to encourage the French to buy rechargeable hybrids that France is the only one defending in Brussels. Recall that the Commission proposes to impose electricity in 2035.
Long-term rental offers better access to the electric car
On the other hand, the choice of the long-term rental mechanism seems relevant. According to figures compiled by the PFA (Platform de la Filière de l’Automobile), a car with purely electric traction costs on average 40% more expensive than its equivalent with a conventional combustion engine. “It costs an average of 23,900 euros for an electric car, compared to 15,100 euros for a petrol car,” sums up Luc Chatel, president of the PFA.
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To reduce the amount to pay, most customers now opt for a long-term rental, with monthly payments and mileage that cannot be exceeded in three years. “Rental formulas (mainly rental with option to purchase) accounted for 47.2% of sales to individuals in 2021,” said Eric Champarnaud, co-founder of C-Ways.
This method of financing has “the added benefit of reassuring the customer who fears a rapid deterioration of the battery and an accelerated loss of value of the vehicle,” explains Bernard Guyot, whose group distributes the Côte-d’Or brand vehicles. Renault, Dacia, Alpine, Mitsubishi and MG. “By renting their car, the customer leaves the manufacturer with the risk of a possible resale difficulty.”