What are the options for taxing electric vehicles?

This page is translated from the original post "Quelles sont les pistes pour taxer les véhicules électriques ?" in French.

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taxes voitures électriques

Let’s not be naive, the cost of developing infrastructure related to new mobility will inevitably need to be offset by taxes.

With the increasing popularity of electrified vehicles, the French government is looking for ways to compensate for the decrease in revenue from taxes on fossil fuels. Here are the currently considered options:

A per-kilometer tax

The idea would be to make drivers pay based on the number of kilometers traveled. This could concretely involve GPS devices or annual declarations. This system would enable all users to contribute to the development of road infrastructure, regardless of the type of motorization.

Taxing recharge electricity

Another option would be to increase taxation on the electricity used to recharge electric vehicles. This would require specific meters to differentiate between “regular” electricity and that used for cars.

Vehicle weight tax

Electric cars, often heavier due to their batteries, could be taxed more heavily. Currently, only vehicles exceeding 1.8 tons are affected, but this threshold could be lowered to include more electric models. This is a highly probable short-term development.

Reducing purchase incentives

A regrettable necessity. With the growing popularity of electric vehicles, the government is considering reducing ecological bonuses, or even gradually removing them. The funds saved could be allocated to financing infrastructure projects.

These measures must be carefully devised so as not to hinder the adoption of electric vehicles, which is essential in the fight against climate change. However, the gap is too wide between the taxation of fossil energies and the aid for purchasing electric vehicles for the current system to remain sustainable. French-made models could, logically, be protected from these new taxes. As you can see, not everything is so bleak.

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