One of the largest regions in France will launch an ambitious electrical mobility support program by paying aid of several thousand euros to transform thermal vehicles.
The electric car seems to be the horizon of individual mobility of the coming years. Whether we believe in it or not, the automotive industry has embarked on this path, under the impetus and pressure of the European Union, with the prohibition of the sale of new thermal vehicles in 2035. And although this objective is currently questioned, it is likely that the cleaver ends by falling one day or the other.
The problem is that the electric car is out of financial reach for a large part of the population. At equivalent power and size, a new electric motorization vehicle costs quickly twice as much as its thermal equivalent. In addition, the complete replacement of the current vehicle park with electric models poses ecological problems, the manufacture of these cars being very polluting.
In France, an interesting solution to these two constraints has existed since 2020: The retrofit. It is neither more nor less than transforming a thermal vehicle into an electric vehicle, removing its engine and tank, and replacing them with an electric motor and a battery. This technique therefore makes it possible to avoid causing cars still functional while reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
The retrofit has gained popularity since its official authorization in 2020, in particular with drivers living or working in a low -emission zone (ZFE), and cannot or not wanting to acquire a new electric vehicle. Moreover, Retrofit is possible on a wide type of vehicle panelboth passenger cars and two or three wheels, which makes it accessible to many road users.
Obviously, this conversion at a cost. And it is rather high. According to state data, the average price of a retrofit ranges from 15,000 to 30,000 €: a sacred sum therefore, equivalent to the price of certain new cars. Some government financial aids exist, and can amount to € 5,000 for a car and € 1,100 for an engine cycle, but their allocation and amount are subject to fairly drastic income criteria, which exclude many drivers.
To stimulate the practice of retrofit, the Ile-de-France region therefore voted A new conversion aid program on January 30, 2025and the latter turns out to be rather generous. The Region will indeed pay financial aid to the retro -fait of up to 6,000 euros for cars and 1,000 for cycles. All Ile -de -France people will be a priori eligible, both individuals and companies with less than 50 employees and communities with less than 10,000 inhabitants.
An ambitious program that could support many drivers in their electric transition, especially since no income condition for individuals is mentioned for the moment. On the other hand, the program is not active at the moment, and the official page of the region’s site is content to indicate that “this aid will soon be available”. A file to follow therefore.