Eco Bonus of 7000 Euros: Not for Everyone?

President Emmanuel Macron announces a €7,000 bonus for the purchase of a new electric vehicle, exclusively for low-income households..

Another favorable evolution of the automotive ecological bonus? After extending the €6,000 aid until the end of 2022 to support the market, a rise is being planned according to the President of the Republic.

€7,000 ecological bonus, for whom?

“Because we want to make electric cars accessible to everyone, we will even increase the ecological bonus from €6,000 to €7,000 for half of households, the most modest ones,” assured Emmanuel Macron during an interview with Les Échos, which recalls that the state has already supported “700,000 ecological bonuses.”

His goal is to increase the share of electric vehicles to 30% of the new car market. In the first nine months of 2022, electric cars accounted for 13%, or 140,965 units out of 1.11 million. In September, they even surpassed diesel for the first time, at 16% compared to 14%.

The head of state did not specify the exact conditions or the date. Will this €7,000 bonus be means-tested, like the conversion premium? Will it be €5,000 or €6,000 for others? Will the price grid evolve? Everything remains to be defined.

The current ecological bonus for all buyers:

Target of 400,000 charging points by 2030

With one charging point per 1,000 inhabitants for electric cars, this is considered insufficient according to the figures from Avere-France. The association reports a total of 71,630 public charging points as of September 30, 2022, representing a 46% increase compared to 2021.

“We will reach 100,000 public charging stations […]by the end of the first half of 2023, and 400,000 by 2030,” specifies the President of the Republic. The objective of 100,000 chargers, or rather charging points—since a station can have multiple points—was initially set for the end of 2021, then postponed to 2022. This is therefore a second delay.

A “tariff shield” for charging stations

“Starting January 2023, we will also extend the tariff shield to electric charging stations to avoid mishaps like some of our neighbors,” states Emmanuel Macron, “today prices remain reasonable, we will ensure they stay that way.” Indeed, prices have begun to increase on certain networks, like Allego, which has been raising rates monthly. It has reached nearly €1 per kWh at its highway stations.

Details of this shield are still to be defined. Will it impose a price cap per kWh? By type of recharge, considering that a 350 kW ultra-fast charger costs more than a 50 kW one? Patience…

Also read: Ademe: Is the electric car “reasonable” with a 60 kWh battery?