Between customs duties, the eco-score (or environmental score), the ecological bonus, There is plenty to get lost in this jungle of regulations which can change the price of electric cars by several thousand euros. It’s all a matter of geography. If the stories of customs duties on Chinese electric cars play out at the European level, France, like other members of the “27”, also applies its own rules. The ecological bonus has existed here since 2007, but this year, the State added the eco-score. A list of requirements with which electric vehicles which would like to benefit from the ecological bonus must comply. A sort of additional protectionist measure here to encourage the purchase of cars made in Europe and stop collectively subsidizing the production of cars on the other side of the planet in an industrial context that is far from equitable compared to the Old Continent.
However, there still remained a gray area: that of vehicles mainly produced far away, but assembled here. Like a Leapmotor T03, manufactured as a kit in China, but assembled in Poland and distributed by Stellantis.
Assemble or manufacture?
It is the one that can currently proudly display its title as the cheapest electric car in France, with a price until December 31 that falls below €15,000, with or without state bonus as we can read on site commercial. But this situation seems to be moving the lines in terms of regulations on obtaining the famous environmental score. Indeed, a consultation has been launched in order to reform the system, and weigh each word so that certain models are excluded. Especially Chinese.
Even if, currently, this environmental score, as defined by article D.251-1-A of the energy code and by the decree of October 7, 2023, already requires manufacturers, in the case where a vehicle would be “assembled on several sites, or equipped with batteries produced on several sites”, to produce supporting documents for these different sites, it would seem that one word poses a problem: “assembled”. The word “fabricated” should therefore be preferred.
The importance of words
Thus, in the case of the environmental score, we should no longer speak of an “assembly site”, but rather a “manufacturing site”. A very small change on paper, which nevertheless excludes a Leapmotor T03, to take just one example. Which means going beyond simple welding and screwing. Production takes into account “the stamping and sheet metal stages for the production of a white body of the vehicle version, the painting of said body, then the assembly of the electric motor and the battery”.
If the former government has only held a consultation so far, it could be concluded in a few days, on December 26. While the new rule which will apply accordingly should be quickly published in the Official Journal.
