“
The keys were handed over yesterday.
» The first electric car from the “social leasing” program, an electric vehicle rental subsidized by the government at less than 150 euros per month, was delivered this Thursday, January 18, indicated the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu on TF1 Friday.
This vehicle was delivered by the Stellantis group (Peugeot, Citroën, etc.), the ministry told AFP.
“
That’s French ecology!
», welcomed Emmanuel Macron on X (ex-Twitter).
The system, launched at the start of 2024, is already a victim of its success, the former Minister of Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher had already recognized.
Originally, only 25,000 vehicles subsidized in this way were to be available this year as part of this “bonus” open to the most modest French people traveling more than 8,000 km per year or using their vehicle as part of their work, for 90,000 French pre-registered.
Since the closure of the government platform on January 4, people wanting to benefit from an electric car at 100 euros per month must contact the rental companies directly.
“Extremely positive results”
The government therefore wants to move on to “social leasing” and offer more cars to meet demand.
Christophe Béchu confirmed that he was “
working
” with car manufacturers “
to see if we can make 30,000, 35,000, 40,000 vehicles
” rather than 25,000.
Only vehicles built in France or Europe are eligible for this bonus, and the number of cars included in the system is subject to manufacturers' production limits.
Stellantis states in a press release that “
around a hundred thousand potential customers have come into contact with the group’s brands
”.
The manufacturer displays an “
extremely positive mid-January assessment, with 20,000 financing applications validated, or more than 80% of the volumes planned to date
” in the system.
The group offers nine electric models, from its brands Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, Opel, and Peugeot, out of the 14 eligible for social leasing.
“
A tenth vehicle from the Fiat brand will also be available during the year
,” indicates Stellantis.
The Renault group had also indicated to Le
Figaro
that it had
“revised (its) production capacities upwards
” for its two electric vehicles eligible for the system, the Twingo E-Tech (offered from 40 euros per month) and the Megane E- Tech (150 euros per month).