why is this a good idea

Electric cars are currently exempt from the penalty, but the situation could well change. Electric cars with a large battery (and therefore a long range) could be taxed.

Taxation applied to new vehicles is a subject in perpetual evolution. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government introduced a CO2 penalty in 2008. More recently, a weight penalty was introduced. And it is this that should ultimately penalize electric cars.

A marginal measure… for now

In the current state of affairs, the measure only concerns thermal cars over 1,800 kilos. Beyond this threshold, each additional kilo is charged 10 euros. The financial penalty is added to that of the CO2 malus. The total amount of the two taxes cannot exceed 50,000 euros or 50% of the price of the car.

The 1,800 kg limit is too high for the measure to have a real impact on the market (except for very specific models), especially since large families (i.e. those with 3 children dependent) benefit from even more flexible rules. Without real surprise, the government has therefore already planned to put in place a more penalizing scale.

According to The echoesa first tightening will appear in the 2024 finance law. From 1,800 kilos, the trigger threshold would increase to 1,600 kilos. This figure would be the result of a compromise between the different scenarios under study, which ranged from 1,500 to 1,700 kilos.

At the same time, the executive would also like to eliminate the ceiling of its double penalty. In other words, the threshold of 50,000 euros would no longer be an insurmountable barrier.

Towards the end of the privilege for electric models?

The good news is that electric cars and plug-in hybrids would still not be affected by the weight penalty. But what looks like a small victory would in fact be only a reprieve, because the government wants to put an end to this exception. According to a source quoted by The echoesthe extension of the weight penalty to electric and hybrid cars could be included in the 2024 finance bill. However, the measure would not come into force until 2025.

Such a decision would particularly affect long-range electric cars. They are indeed the ones that weigh the heaviest, due to the size of their battery. On a Tesla Model S, the battery weight is around 500 kg. A figure to put in perspective with those of a Dacia Spring for example, which uses a “small” battery of 186 kilos.

But be careful, because even with an equivalent battery size, the weight of electric cars plays like a yoyo. If a Tesla Model S and its 95 kWh battery weighs 2 tonnes, it takes almost 2.4 tonnes for a Mercedes EQE and its 90 kWh battery… and even 2.8 tonnes for the Mercedes EQS with a 108 battery. kWh. In question: a luxurious design, which emphasizes heavier materials, and more equipment.

It will therefore be necessary to think of adjustments so as not to excessively penalize certain models, while maintaining a certain clarity in the operation of the measure. A perilous exercise, which the government did not really succeed with the new 2024 bonus… Moreover, went through the exercise of deciphering how the new bonus works. To your calculators!

Moreover, taxing heavy cars will also reduce the size of batteries, since, as we have explained many times, a “small” battery that charges quickly is preferable to a large battery, in many respects.

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