The art of shooting yourself in the foot. With its aid tool for the purchase of electric vehicles, France has massively subsidized… cars produced in China. “The ecological bonus represents 1.2 billion euros per year. However, 40% has already gone to Asia since January 2023”, recognizes, in a serious tone, Bruno Le Maire. And the Minister of the Economy concludes: “We are not intended to finance the development of factories in Asia from public funds”.
As part of the Green Industry plan presented this Tuesday, May 16, at the end of the “reindustrialization” sequence led vigorously by Emmanuel Macron, support for the purchase of “clean” vehicles is getting a facelift. Bruno Le Maire does not hide it: the objective is to promote electric models produced in Europe. He estimates that these vehicles “emit 45% less CO2 than those produced outside our borders”. But how to achieve this without incurring the wrath of the World Trade Organization? By taking into account “the global life cycle” of cars, proudly summarizes Christophe Béchu, Minister of Ecological Transition.
An environmental score for cars
No more question of retaining the sole criterion of motorization (battery or hydrogen) to allocate the 5,000 to 7,000 euros premium to buyers. Electric models will be given an environmental score based on three criteria, intended to sort the wheat from the chaff. Manufacturers will be able to get their first good point thanks to the carbon footprint of the assembly of the electric model. Beware of those who have chosen the fuel countries for coal-fired power plants! The second evaluation factor will relate to the emissions generated during the production of the components.
The performance of steel and batteries will be closely scrutinized. Manufacturers will finally be judged on their ability to integrate recycled and biosourced materials into their models. Builders who love hemp and other fishing nets – replacing oil-based plastic – can rejoice. As for the less successful, they could be purely and simply deprived of bonuses. But Bercy plays the card of magnanimity. “Wherever they are, builders will have a possibility of recourse to demonstrate that they are virtuous according to the criteria that we will define”, assures a government source… At the risk of transforming Bercy into an office of tears.
A Tesla factory in France?
Far from being finalized, the new generation ecological bonus should be implemented at the end of 2023. It is up to Ademe (Ecological Transition Agency) to refine the contours of this measure and determine the right thresholds. Holy challenge. By being too severe, the executive could penalize vehicles assembled on the Old Continent – for example in certain Eastern countries. A height! By taking the risk of excluding entry-level models, such as the Dacia Spring currently produced in China, France is also exposing itself to a slowdown in the conversion to electric of its car fleet… The opposite objective of the bonus ecological. If the measure holds water, it would in any case be likely to reshuffle the cards on the French automobile market. In 2022, two of the three best-selling cars were produced in China.
Could the “little revolution” of the ecological bonus conditioned on the carbon footprint, as Emmanuel Macron describes it, also lead certain manufacturers to change gear in terms of industrial establishments? A surprise guest at the Choose France high mass of attractiveness, Elon Musk suggested that his Tesla brand should make “significant investments in France (…) at some point”. Bluff to continue to benefit from the bonus or sign of a real desire to establish itself in France? The future will tell. Meanwhile, others are rubbing their hands. With its electricity center in Hauts-de-France, Renault has a number of advantages: carbon-free assembly thanks to nuclear power, a long-standing position in the circular economy, and soon a local supply of batteries. The new version of the ecological bonus opens a boulevard for him.