Only subsidy after a good environmental score
France wants to include the CO2 emissions released during the production and transport of an EV when awarding EV subsidies. This appears to give locally produced EVs an advantage over those made in, for example, China.
France has a generous subsidy scheme for EVs, where EV buyers can receive up to 7,000 euros in compensation. The conditions have been tightened after extensive abuse, but the subsidy still exists. So far, as with all other EV subsidies we know, the government only looks at greenhouse gas emissions during use. Read: if it is zero, then you are in the right place, possibly supplemented with a criterion regarding the purchase price.
This is apparently a thorn in the side of the French Ministry of Energy Transition. France will soon also take the ecological footprint of an EV into account during the production process when awarding the EV subsidy. That seems like a distant future, but according to this brought to our attention by Automotive News document the plans are already very concrete. The assessors measure production emissions on the basis of a so-called environmental score, which they draw up according to a new method developed by L’Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie, literally translated ‘The Agency for the Environment and Energy Management’. When drawing up that score, the government takes the following into account:
- The production, including the materials used
- The assembly and associated factories, and the energy consumption there
- The battery: type and technology
- Transport and logistics: the environmental impact of transport.
China
The word ‘China’ is not literally used in the new French plan, but the EVs from that country seem to be an important reason for this new approach. With a larger share of non-green energy, production without much regard for the environment and transport over long distances, an EV from China appears to be difficult to qualify for a subsidy under the new standards. It might then not only affect cars from Chinese brands, but also Teslas and Dacias (Spring!) that are built in China.
We will know for sure in December, when the French ministry will publish a ‘decree’ stating which models remain eligible for subsidy. The French government believes it can reduce the country’s ecological footprint by the equivalent of 800,000 tons of CO2 through this measure. Economic considerations are not mentioned, but undoubtedly also play a role.
What do you think, should the Netherlands come up with a similar measure? Make yourself heard, but keep it fun!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl