Paris sets up €6,000 EV rebate and includes electric buses

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo expands EV rebates for professionals in the French capital and was backed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The new incentives include e-buses and other modes of transport as well. 

Professionals in Paris will find considerable support when switching to electric mobility from January, 1, 2018. Driving schools and SMEs can then get a 6,000 euro EV rebate to buy an electric car. Bus operators may claim 9,000 euros and taxi drivers too are aided in a switch with up to 3,000 euros and 4,000 euros if they install a charging station.

But Mayor Anne Hidalgo also wants to encourage private persons to change their mobility and so Parisians buying an electric bike or cargo bike may claim 400 and 600 euros respectively. She announced the new measures at the occasion of a visit by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former action actor and governor nowadays serves as president and founder of the R 20 – Regions of Climate Action network.

Paris on the other hand is part of the C40 initiative of cities fighting climate change. As such, the French capital pledged to say “adieu” to combustion-powered cars by 2030 and diesel engine cars are likely to be banned even earlier, before the start of the Olympic Games in 2024 (we reported).

The French national government has been trying hard as well lately to convince its citizens to buy into electric cars. Another 2,500 euros have been added to the existing plug-in grant of 6,000 euros recently. Add to this the Parisian incentive and an electric company car could become 14,500 euros cheaper although it was unclear at the time of writing if such double incentives could be applied.

France stated aim is to remove 100,000 gas guzzlers from its roads throughout the next year.

avere-france.org, leparisien.fr (both in French)