From 2024, the allocation of the ecological bonus will be determined by new criteria and the obtaining of an eco-score. Only and in the eyes of Bruno Le Maire, obtaining a good note will prove to be particularly complex, the fault in particular of the environmental standards set by Europe.
As you may know, the ecological bonus is about to change drastically in France from 2024. Indeed, the government announced in May 2023 a profound change in the conditions for obtaining this purchase aid. From now on, the allocation of the ecological bonus will be associated with an ecological score based on six very specific criteria.
Thus, this score will be calculated in particular according to the raw materials used in the manufacture of the car and its battery, during its production (intermediate transformations and assembly) or even according to the CO2 emissions linked to its transport to the French market (road , maritime, rail, etc.). If the mark obtained is higher than 60, the model can then claim the ecological bonus. According to Bruno Le Maire, the Ministry of the Economy, “this reform will allow us to reserve public support for electric vehicles which have the best carbon footprint and which are therefore produced in the most carbon-free countries and factories”.
As you will have understood, the idea with the new ecological bonus is above all to penalize electric cars manufactured in China and the United States. Indeed, a battery produced in China emits on average between 1.7 and 3 times more CO2 than a battery designed in France. Only, there is a problem with this new ecological bonus: builders will have to do it themselves (and not an independent body), in other words that the operation promises to be damn complex.
A complex allocation due to European standards
Bruno Le Maire has also recognized the complication of the process when he came on August 29, 2023 to the Meeting of French Entrepreneurs organized by the Medef. But according to him, the responsibility does not rest solely with the government, but also and mainly in Europe. “It’s quite complex. I would have preferred to be able to say, the European bonus is reserved for industrial products with European content. That’s what China is doing, that’s what the US is doing, that’s what I still can’t do in Europe because of European standards.” he denounced.
From what we know so far, a weighting mechanism is provided if a manufacturer has several assembly sites for one and the same vehicle. It would also be necessary to take into account battery repairability index as an additional award criterion. And if ADEME declares a car not eligible for the bonus, the manufacturers concerned will be able to request an appeal. They will then have to provide evidence aimed at proving better emission factors than those defined by the current methodology.
Source: Clean Automobile