Driving electric for the sum of 100 euros per month: the Macronian campaign promise should soon become a reality. During the presentation of her roadmap for the first 100 days, on April 23, Elisabeth Borne placed herself in the wake of the president, saying she wanted to "facilitate everyone's access to clean vehicles, develop the necessary infrastructure and support the conversion of the French automotive sector". But then how? The idea is to set up a social leasing at a reduced rate to help French people with precarious status or heavily dependent on four wheels by offering them to rent electric vehicles, the majority of which would be produced in France. However, the precise workings of this system and the conditions to be met in order to benefit from it are unknown. Le Figaro draws the contours of this project.
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Who could be eligible for this scheme?
Several socio-professional criteria should be taken into account to designate the beneficiaries of social leasing. First, there is household income. Indeed, "the most financially constrained households are the furthest from the electric vehicle" according to a study conducted by the NGO Transport and Environment (T&E) jointly with the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). The scheme could therefore possibly be staggered in proportion to tax revenues. In its report, Transport and Environment suggests priority aid for workers earning less than 13,500 euros per year. Similarly, households whose dependence on cars is increased, i.e. those "without alternatives for access to essential services and for professional activity" (T&E) should be privileged, as well as essential liberal professions, such as doctors, for example. Invited this Thursday on France Info, the Minister of Transport Clément Beaune announced that "around 100,000 people" would be concerned by this electric leasing.
When will orders be possible?
The device will be officially launched in autumn 2023 and the first orders can be made in early 2024, via an online platform. "The goal is to make it very simple," says the minister. According to him, households concerned by the scheme will have fewer costs to pay at the launch of the scheme compared to the sometimes off-putting standards of current leasing.
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What vehicles will be available, and at what price?
Electric cars Made in France should logically be honored: Renault Zoé and Twingo, Peugeot e-208 for city cars or the Citroën Ami for the unlicensed. Clément Molizon, general delegate of the national association for the development of electric mobility (Avere), adds that "Citroën will also develop a model in Spain next year", which would make it possible "to go in the direction of integrating a European manufacture" and to overcome the competition of models produced in China such as the Dacia Spring, the only model currently available for lease for 100 euros per month. The Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, speaks of "a few thousand vehicles" in circulation from next year. Despite all these objectives, the observation is as follows: renting an electric city car currently costs around 150 euros per month in France.
Will the project really see the light of day?
In its calculations, the NGO Transport and Environment estimates that with the reindustrialization effort as well as the purchase aid that the State should provide, social leasing should cost "between 116 and 192 euros per month" for a segment A car (Renault Twingo type), "between 128 and 160 euros per month" for a B segment car (Peugeot 208 type), and between "238 and 275 euros per month" for a C-segment car (Renault Mégane type). The 100 euros mark therefore seems to be a difficult Eldorado to reach. However, as Clément Molizon reminds us, the question of the price of electric cars is "a question of economies of scale, in the sense that we do not yet sell enough models to be able to bring prices down". Ultimately, the more electric vehicles leased, the more likely prices are to fall. It remains to be seen whether this system, which combines social vocation, environmental imperative and ambition to reindustrialize the country, is realistic.
