As Europe has taken the 100% electric route and the market share of zero-emission cars continues to grow, some motorists find themselves a little lost when turning the page on the good old combustion engines. Above all, the promise of a certain comfort provided by electricity and a more attractive cost of use can still disappoint some drivers once they face the (sometimes) harsh reality.
Lack of information for consumers.
After receiving numerous testimonies from motorists who expressed this disappointment after the purchase, the League for the Defense of Drivers association identified “important flaws” in the information provided to buyers of this type of vehicle, as well as in the charging stations. .
An alarm signal heard by the LR deputy for the Loire, Dino Cinieri, who plans to present in the coming months a bill to “guarantee perfect transparency during the transaction, whether it is about purchasing an electric car or simply “refuel watts” at charging stations.
“Transpartisan and common sense measures,” the deputy summarized this Tuesday, October 3, during a press conference organized to present this first version of the text.
“At the end of 2022, there were 80 models of electric cars on the French market, while in 2019 there were only 30, and during this period, sales increased by 374%,” underlines Dino Cinieri, for whom this law should provide the vision general. framework to better inform buyers.
100% recharge time
Among the possible unpleasant surprises, a recharge time much longer than advertised. Therefore, the proposed law requires “a legal obligation for manufacturers/sellers to inform buyers about the 100% recharge time.”
Typically, a brand communicates about a fast recharge time to go from 10 or 20% battery to 80%. A frequent use case on a long trip and at a stop at a high-power terminal in a highway rest area, for example: in fact, it is recommended to have a fairly low battery level, but not at 0% because This can be a bit risky if the terminal is unavailable or broken upon arrival in the area, for example.
In theory, it is not necessary to reach 100% in this scenario either, with a charging time ten times longer to really “fill” the battery. The example of the Renault Mégane E-Tech remains quite eloquent and representative of the general situation: it takes 37 minutes to go from 10 to 80%… and 38 minutes to go from 80 to 100%.
Except that, in reality, we may need to charge at 100%, for example to reach our destination, where charging is not necessarily offered, and to anticipate future trips. Also because the maximum autonomy announced refers precisely to a 100% charge of the battery.
The idea would be, therefore, to force ourselves to give at least this recharge time to 100%, starting from 0%, and from 10 to 20% to maintain these realistic conditions of use, also preserving the theoretical recharge time data until 80%.
Specific elements to be determined later: The proposed law currently sets out in general terms the information that will potentially be requested to ensure this better information to consumers.
Eclipse doubts about the battery
The text also wants to require the presentation of both the total or gross capacity of the battery and the useful capacity actually available for use. Nowadays, there is no real rule and some manufacturers only communicate one piece of information, without mentioning the other.
On this same topic, the idea would also be to be clearer about the battery aging guarantee. In the current offer, if manufacturers can, for example, commit to 8 years and 160,000 kilometers, with a residual battery capacity that must not fall below 80%, the law would require a clear contractual commitment in this regard. Also a way to be more transparent about the cost of replacing the battery, which can reach several thousand euros.
This also has positive effects on the second-hand market, where doubts about the actual condition of the battery can deter buyers.
A clearer charging station
Lastly, the bill also wants to simplify the experience at the charging station. Often an adventure, with an opaque price and a final note that can also lead to unpleasant surprises. Especially when you receive it by email a few weeks after purchase.
An unthinkable experience at a service station, where the motorist is used to seeing liters and euros pass by, a little too quickly at the moment, but that’s not what it’s about. Simply put, this experience should be found at a charging station, with a clear display of the price per kWh (the maximum price if there are subscription plans, for example) and a display, in real time or at least at the end of the recharge, the amount of energy transferred and the price applied.
As more and more French people go electric, the law could be examined at the end of the year or during 2024.
Source: BFM TV
