Automobile: What if you went to electric?: Current woman Le Mag Path 2 645DBCB3-7979-441A-BA4B-98E7BF17E1BE 1785B508-2A96-4CF5-AA87-79B0FE0441BF

By fashionlifeshopping 24/08/2022 1153 Views

In France, 86,378 electric passenger cars and utility vehicles were sold between January and July 2021, according to the National Association for the Development of Electric Mobility (Avere). This is nearly 40,000 more vehicles than in 2020, and 36,000 more than in 2019. 100% electric vehicles therefore seem to be emerging from the margins. Europe-wide, they grabbed 7.5% of the market in the second quarter of this year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

By 2030

Furthermore, upcoming regulatory changes are clearly pushing motorists to opt for “clean” cars. Thus, the European Commission wants to ban the sale of thermal vehicles from 2035. Without waiting for the final decision of the European authorities, many manufacturers such as Ford, Fiat, Volvo, Opel, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, Mini or even Bentley and Alpine have already announced their conversion to all-electric, from 2025 for the most ambitious, by 2030 at the latest for the others.

Traffic, restrictions to be expected

In France, the Climate and Resilience Law, enacted last August, plans to extend the Low Emission Zones (ZFE) – where the most polluting vehicles are subject to to traffic restrictions – to all agglomerations of more than 150,000 inhabitants. And these vehicles will be progressively banned in the ten cities which regularly exceed air quality limit values: in 2023 for cars displaying a Crit'Air 5 sticker, 2024 for Crit'Air 4 and 2025 for Crit'Air 'Air 3.

High purchase prices

City cars, family sedans, sports cars, SUVs… there is now something for everyone on this market. So don't be mistaken and choose a model adapted to its uses. With one caveat: to buy, electric cars are much more expensive than their combustion engine counterparts. Thus, the Peugeot 2008 equipped with a 130 hp Puretech petrol engine is available in the brand's catalog from €24,500. Its electric cousin, the E-2008 136 hp, is available from €36,800, or… 50% more. Fortunately, some aid can reduce the bill.

Fill up on grants

Automotive: what if you went to the 'electric?: Current Woman Le MAG Path 2 645DBCB3-7979-441A-BA4B-98E7BF17E1BE 1785B508-2A96-4CF5-AA87-79B0FE0441BF

Slashed last July, the premium for the purchase of a new electric car costing less than €45,000 amounts until the end of this year to 27% of the price of the vehicle, capped at €6,000. To this may be added, if you scrap a petrol vehicle from before 2006, or a diesel vehicle from before 2011, a conversion premium of €2,500 or €5,000, depending on the amount of your reference tax income per share ( primealaconversion.gouv.fr). Ile-de-France, Bouches-du-Rhône or even Normandy grant additional aid, in the form of an ecological bonus or a conversion bonus, the amounts of which range from €1,000 to €6,000.

Buying… or renting

In the absence of being able to benefit from the maximum aid, and given their high purchase cost, renting, with or without a purchase option, is a formula to consider. Manufacturers all have dedicated offers. Thus, for the Zoe E-Tech Life R110, available from €26,500, ecological bonus deducted (but not the possible conversion bonus), Renault offers a long-term rental (LLD) of 37 months, for €139/ month and 10,000 km/year, after payment of a first rent of €8,950, reduced to €2,950 after deduction of the ecological bonus. That is a total cost over three years of €7,954.

Recharge, preferably at home

In exchange for a high purchase price, electric cars promise significant savings in use. This is true for maintenance, which is much less expensive. And also for consumption… provided you make as many refills as possible in your garage (€2 per 100 km), or if you are lucky enough to find a place at one of the free terminals of large retailers (Auchan, Leclerc, Ikea, Lidl…). Because, elsewhere, the prices are far from being as advantageous. Count €0.20 to €0.30 per hour in a public car park (Vinci, Effia, etc.), in addition to the cost of parking, and €1 to €3 per hour at car-sharing terminals. At motorway service areas, fast charging stations charge €0.10 to €0.20 per minute, or €15 to “refuel” a Renault Zoé. To be used only when necessary, therefore.

Up to 80% fewer emissions

In use, electric cars deserve their “zero emission” label. The International Council for Clean Transport (ICCT) has sought to assess their overall eco-balance, taking into account their entire life cycle. Conclusion: for a compact model, the greenhouse gas emissions of an electric car are 66 to 69% lower than those of a petrol vehicle of comparable size. In France, this difference is even 80%, given the “energy mix” which already includes a significant proportion of green electricity.

"Retrofit", the other solution for going electric

Replacing your car's petrol or diesel unit with an electric motor is called "retrofit", a solution approved in 2020, and open to the conversion premium of €2,500 or €5,000, depending on the beneficiary's reference tax income. A process particularly suitable for city dwellers, who make frequent and short journeys, according to the Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe). State aid deducted, count €5,000 to change the engine of a car of this type. The operation is carried out by professionals who respect demanding specifications.