Can you convert your diesel car to bioethanol? The 8 p.m. answers you

Every evening, TF1’s news goes through the questioning of viewers in “Le 20H vous responds”. Garance Pardigon answers these questions on Gilles Bouleau’s set in the video at the top of this article.

Can you convert your diesel vehicle to bioethanol?

No, even with a conversion kit you risk killing your engine! “Only gasoline vehicles are compatible with this biofuel”, explains Sylvain Demoures, general secretary of the National Union of Agricultural Alcohol Producers (SNPAA)

The main advantage of bioethanol is its price: it is the cheapest on the market, on average 0.76 euros per liter. “This is the secret of its growing success with motorists, and this is explained by the fact that it is less taxed than the SP95 or even diesel”, continues Sylvain Demoures. To verify that your vehicle is compatible with this biofuel, you can use this simulator. It depends both on the type of fuel you usually use, but also on your registration year.

In this regard, François Tarrain, editor-in-chief at AutoPlus, makes a useful reminder: “If you install a converter box, you must change your registration card”. Many motorists do not, yet it is mandatory and possible directly online. It takes 13.76 euros to do it, regardless of the prefecture.

Please note, your Crit’Air sticker will remain unchanged. “It is not very logical, because your vehicle will indeed be less polluting. We have submitted a file to change this rule from 2024”, adds Sylvain Demoures.

Should the employer bear the costs of carpooling?

This is not compulsory, unlike reimbursement for your public transport. It is article L3261-2 of the labor code which specifies that these are “subscriptions taken out by employees for their trips made by means of public passenger transport or public bicycle rental services”. In other words, it does not work for tickets purchased individually and not for “alternative” modes of transport such as carpooling.

For that, there is the sustainable mobility package. It is optional, it depends on the collective agreement of your company, but it can be interesting: up to 600 euros of aid per year and per employee, on condition of using certain means of transport. Since January 1, 2022, this assistance can be paid in the form of a dematerialized and prepaid voucher. “Like the ticket-restaurant card”, translates one of the main players in the market, Edenred.

Electric vehicle: is there any help to install a charging station at home?

Yes, but it’s not amazing … A charging station costs between 1,000 and 1,500 euros. “Be careful not to confuse them with reinforced electrical outlets, which are more affordable, but which do not give the right to all the aids”, alert François Tarrain, editor-in-chief at Auto Plus. This is particularly true for the tax credit. You are entitled to it, if you live in a single-family house, and you install a charging station in your garage, for example: 75% of the price of the equipment, up to a limit of 300 euros.

It’s less restrictive if you are in a condominium. “There, you can install a reinforced socket and benefit from energy saving certificates”, explains Clément Molizon, General Delegate of AVERE (National Association for the Development of Electric Mobility).

It is the Advenir premium, which covers 50% of the cost of the equipment, up to a limit of 960 euros. It can be combined with the tax credit … But beware, “in a building, the work generally costs more than in a single-family house”.

To find out exactly what you are entitled to, you can do a simulation directly online.