France Now Offering €200 State Subsidy For Electric Bicycles

February 23rd, 2017 by James Ayre

The government of France is now offering a state subsidy of €200 to buyers of certain electrically powered bicycles, according to recent reports. This state subsidy will be on the table until January 31, 2018, reportedly — though, keep an eye out for a possible extension.

The announcement of the subsidy was by decree on a website of the French government, following earlier promises by the country’s Minister of Environment, Segolene Royal.

Importantly, it should be noted here that the new state subsidy doesn’t apply to electric bikes relying on lead-acid batteries — the electric bikes must be “modernized.”

Also noteworthy is that buyers aren’t allowed to re-sell their bikes within a year from the purchase to qualify.

Cycling Industry provides more:

“Entitling citizens to one such purchase, the scheme is designed to bring about a spike in alternative transport use. At present, under 2% of the French population travel to work by bike, though this varies region-to-region. …

“Meanwhile in the Nordic region, Norwegian capital Oslo has gone one step further, allowing a €1,200 credit on electric cargo bike purchases.”

Of course, Norway is a country of only around 5–6 million people, and one that has access to some of the most substantial proven oil reserves in the world right now, so it perhaps has the ability to offer incentives that few other regional countries can. Things also tend to be more expensive in the country than in France, so that’s probably part of the reason for the higher incentives as well.

While we’re on the subject, it’s clear that Norway’s substantial electric vehicle incentives are paying off, as around 37% of all new car sales in the country last month were of plug-in electrics.

Image of Wave Electric Bike











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