Electric Car for €100/Month: What’s the Current Status?

To democratize electric cars, Emmanuel Macron has promised a leasing option at €100 per month. The government is still working on implementing this measure.

The announcement, which was part of the president’s campaign promises, has not yet materialized, but the project remains on track. Christophe Béchu, the Minister of Ecological Transition, recently confirmed this on BFM TV. According to him, the scheme will be launched before the end of 2023. In an interview with Les Echos in 2022, Emmanuel Macron indicated that “pre-orders will [be] made by the second half of 2023, for delivery at the beginning of 2024.”

The government wants this measure to benefit the European automotive industry. “We cannot have an ecological transition that ignores jobs, the added value we create. And we cannot use public money to subsidize cars made at the ends of the world, while naïvely ignoring social conditions and environmental dumping in other countries,” affirmed Christophe Béchu on this matter.

Chinese electric cars excluded from the scheme?

When discussing “cars made on the other side of the world”, the minister is clearly referring to the Chinese industry, which has relied on the emergence of electric vehicles to establish itself in Europe. But within made in China models, there are also vehicles sold by European brands, such as the Dacia Spring. Thus, even if it fits the profile of the €100-per-month electric car, the compact car from the Renault group may not meet the criteria established by the government.

As a reminder, the issue of excluding Chinese cars from public aid programs has already been raised concerning the allocation of the eco-bonus. The government ultimately decided not to take any action. It continues to subsidize all electric cars, regardless of their country of production.

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