France to spend €2.5 billion to hasten introduction of electric vehicles
Sat 03 October 2009
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The French government has announced a ten-year, €2.5 billion plan for the introduction of electric vehicles in the country. The Government intends to invest the money in incentives for the production and purchase of electric plug-in vehicles and in the provision of infrastructure. The announcement was followed by the issue of '14 commandments' for the successful introduction of electric vehicles in France by the country's Environment Minister, Jean-Louis Borloo.
M. Borloo said the hope is to have one million charging points in place by mid-decade and four million by 2020. About half of the charge stations are planned to go into private homes with most of the rest going to offices and businesses to provide employees with the ability to charge their cars during working ours. About 75,000 charge points are planned for public locations.
Reports say that Borloo expects EVs to account for about 16 percent of new car sales in France by 2020, rising to 27 percent by 2025.
Some of the French Government funding is also earmarked to provide incentives to build advanced batteries, with Nissan already having announced plans to build a factory for its AESC joint venture in the next few years.
M Borloo, recently announced '14 commandments' for the successful introduction of electric vehicles in France. These are:
- Launch "enough" demonstration charging stations in 2010.
- Integrate EVs into all new city mobility plans.
- Help universities establishing battery development programs.
- Purchase up to 100,000 EVs by 2015.
- Achieve final passage of the €5,000 subvention for consumers to purchase EVs.
- Make sure all cars can be charged at home using standard plugs.
- Starting in 2012, require all new buildings with parking facilities to include EV charging points.
- For existing developments, create a "right to charge" so no opposition can be made to installing charge points.
- Starting in 2015, require all office buildings to have EV charging points.
- Use and promote the upcoming standard European EV plug.
- Make sure local governments get help to create EV charging stations.
- Organize the development of an EV charging network.
- Assure that non fossil-sourced energy is used to charge cars [this is an easy one, since France uses so much nuclear power].
- Promote battery recycling.
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