2023-05-13 17:02:00
The ecological bonus should no longer be paid to electric vehicles produced in China. And this affects European brands.
The question
Emmanuel Macron wants to reserve the ecological bonus for cars produced in Europe. Which models may no longer have the €5,000 bonus? And from when?
Automobile-Propre’s response
This is the big announcement of the week for motorists. The government is preparing an ecological bonus with stricter allocation conditions. In addition to a price criterion and a weight criterion, there will be an environmental criterion.
When he confirmed this, Emmanuel Macron did not, however, go into technical details. But the guideline has been summed up in a simple way: favor European production. The Head of State no longer wants the bonus, which is public money, to finance vehicles produced outside Europe. Clearly aimed at China.
With Le Parisien, the Ministry of the Economy subsequently explained the creation of a tool “which makes it possible to evaluate the carbon footprint of the production of a vehicle”. Among the criteria retained, there is “the origin of the battery, the construction of the engine, the steel incorporated into the vehicle and the use of recycled or biosourced materials”.
Some brands are already worried about a new gas plant, even if the terms must be refined with them in the coming months. It is therefore difficult for the moment to make a precise list of vehicles that will be excluded from the ecological bonus, since the criteria used are not clearly validated and detailed.
However, we can start by sounding the alarm for electric vehicles that are assembled in China. This is of course the case for all MGs. MG is certainly one of the first targets. The MG4 is clearly a target to beat, with knockdown prices that give the competition cold sweats. To the point that the compact is already one of the ten best-selling electric cars in France.
Other Chinese brands will also be impacted, but their sales so far remain quite marginal in France: there is BYD, Seres or even Aiways. The Leapmotor T03, a small city car at a low-cost price, should also be deprived of bonuses.
But the bonus turn will also impact non-Chinese brands that produce in China, and not the least. In the lot, there is still the Dacia Spring… which is quite simply the best-selling electric car in our country! Renault does not seem worried, however, because it will soon have the R5 made in France to highlight. The electric Twingo is also produced in Europe.
Another success that may no longer have a bonus: the Tesla Model 3. In the list, we also have the Smart #1. Not to mention vehicles that will soon come from China, such as the new electric Mini and the Volvo EX30.
Moreover, if China is clearly targeted, the measure must also impact electric vehicles from the United States. But these are however few to be able to claim the bonus, because it is recalled that there is already a limit of 47,000 €. For example, the Mercedes EQE SUV is made in the USA, but its price is well beyond the limit! This may, however, impact the Ford Mustang Mach-E in its basic configuration (the new and ambitious Explorer will come from Germany). The limit of 47,000 € also applies to European models made in China, such as the BMW iX3, for whom it will therefore not change anything.
We must also not forget the Japanese and Korean productions, with in particular the Kia Niro EV. Will it be impacted? In fact, everything will depend on the way in which this environmental score is calculated…
The vagueness also concerns the entry into force of the measure, Emmanuel Macron not having announced it. But it seems scheduled for January 1, 2024.
Read also
With the WLTP standard, why does the advertised consumption not correspond to the approved autonomy?
With the Green Stamp section, Automobile-propre journalists are there to answer your questions on electromobility. Choice of a vehicle, need for technical information… Send us your questions in the comments below or by email at this address:
vosquestions[at]automobile-propre.com
1684014504
#electric #models #lose #ecological #bonus