France awaits clearer EU strategy on e-cars

Thanks to state support, the classic automobile market in France grew by 10.8% in March 2010 – a considerable leap – but the government is hedging its bets on "de-carbonised" vehicles.

French Ecology and Transport Minister Jean-Louis Borloo unveiled a national strategy in October 2009, with 14 concrete steps to encourage the development of electric and rechargeable hybrid cars.The objective is to put two million electric vehicles on France’s roads by 2020.Earlier this month, Borloo and Industry Minister Christian Estrosi stated that ''12 out of the 14 planned steps are now in process''.''We are the first and the most organised in the European Union',' the two ministers added.The ministers signed a charter with 12 local authorities and car manufacturers PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault, with the aim of making electric and rechargeable hybrid cars accessible to the public in 2010. Financial support of some €2.5 billion should be provided to the sector.People buying an electric car will also receive a grant of €5,000. To help establish a market for electric cars, the French state said it will place 100,000 orders for new vehicles. Borloo announced the formation of a group – including EDF, SNCF, Air France, France Télécom and La Poste – which will order an initial 50,000 vehicles. A call for tender will open on 23 April.Brussels preparing legislative packageMeanwhile in Brussels, EU Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani is preparing to unveil an electric car strategy next Tuesday (27 April).The EU's commissioner for climate action, Connie Hedegaard, and her colleague in charge of transport, Siim Kallas, are putting together a 'transport and climate' package of directives (EurActiv 18/01/10). Moreover, a strategy on an industrial automobile policy should be adopted this summer.Speaking at a conference in Paris organised by the Confrontations Europe think-tank, Hugues Van Honacker from the European Commission’s transport directorate announced the imminent publication of a communication and a directive on the sale of clean cars.Asked by EurActiv France to clarify these remarks, a Commission spokesperson was unable to specify whether these initiatives would be separate from the strategy to be unveiled by Tajani next week.According to the EU executive, when public services purchase new vehicles they will have to decide between buying classical and electric cars, taking costs into account – particularly those relating to harmful emissions.A White Paper on the de-carbonisation of transport and urban mobility should be published in November 2010. The strategy will deal with the question of European-level grants as well as the definition of an EU standard for plugs designed to recharge electric vehicles.The question of interoperability of recharging systems in Europe is receiving a great deal of attention: if the EU does not manage to establish a common standard for recharging gear, the plan to develop a market for electric vehicle will run straight into a brick wall.If you want to react to this article, please click here.