The executive was overwhelmed by requests from individuals. At the end of January, more than 90,000 people had already requested to benefit from an electric car for less than 100 euros per month for urban residents and 150 euros for family members (not including insurance or maintenance) within the framework of social leasing. Launched in December, this rent-to-own (LOA) system is currently reserved for the most modest and mobile French. According to the information echoesAs confirmed by BFM Business and AFP, the initial goal of 20,000 validated orders has been largely achieved, as more than 50,000 orders have been validated to date.
Given the magnitude of the success of social leasing, while the initial objective is “exceeded”, underlines the Elysée, the executive has decided to anticipate the expiration of the system for the year 2024. A decree should appear tomorrow in this sense in the “Diario Official” and “all orders placed to date will be attended to.”
A reduction of at least 1,000 euros in the basic ecological bonus
It was mainly budgetary considerations that led the executive to make this decision. Between the ecological bonus of 7,000 euros for low-income households and an additional premium of 6,000 euros, the system actually costs 13,000 euros per electric car. A significant cost in a context in which Bercy wants to put an end to the “whatever it takes” policy to pursue a debt reduction policy until the end of the five-year mandate. While the budget dedicated to greening the automobile is earmarked for 1.5 billion euros this year, a decree could soon reduce the basic ecological bonus by 1,000 euros, or even more, compared to 2023.
“The bonus of 7,000 euros for half of the lowest-income households will remain unchanged this year,” the Elysée reassures its colleagues.
The decision is also driven by more industrial factors. Specifically, the Elysée wants the system to apply more to electric cars manufactured in France. For the 2024 edition, of the twenty models eligible for social leasing, only the Renault Mégane E-Tech was manufactured in France, half coming from Stellantis factories. French manufacturers must launch several electric models in the coming months, such as the Renault 5. “It is going a little faster than we thought,” admitted the Minister of Industry and Energy, Roland Lescure, on France 3 on Sunday. Perhaps we will slow down a little, give ourselves time to produce French, and then accelerate, accelerate, accelerate… […] At the end of the year or early next year, I’ll come back and tell you.”
Source: BFM TV
