France will give a €4,000 grant to people who swap their car for an electric bike

The Times claims that the French government will increase the amount of subsidy it gave to people who trade in their gas-powered cars for e-bikes. From now on, this subsidy could go up to €4,000 per person. This is to push people to abandon their old polluting modes of transport for much cleaner and more environmentally friendly alternatives.

France is therefore in the process of changing its policy against climate change. The program began last week and comes a week after US President Joe Biden signed “ a huge tax and climate bill that completely ignores the climate change potential of e-bikes “, according to The Verge. And it is worth remembering that this notion of subsidy, for those who exchange their cars for electric bicycles, was introduced for the first time in 2021.

To what extent do we benefit from this subsidy?

The entire grant, or €4,000, will go to people living in low-income households that are in low-emission urban areas, but they need to buy an e-bike and leave their car behind. essence.

The Verge says traditional non-motorized bicycles are also eligible for the incentive. And concerning the French who have slightly higher income brackets, they have the possibility of applying for more modest subsidies.

Why did the current French government take this decision?

The authorities have done so to catch up with other countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Emmanuel Macron’s government has said it hopes 9% of the country will cycle by the year 2024, from the current percentage of 3%. For information, the Netherlands currently has 27% in this area.

Without forgetting that the program is extremely successful in Lithuania, France was also inspired by it. Indeed, in Lithuania, citizens are entitled to a subsidy of up to €1,000 on the sole condition of exchanging their old vehicle for the purchase of a brand new electric bicycle, scooter, moped, motorcycle or transit credits. But France did not stop at individual incentives, it also invested 250 million euros with the aim of making Paris entirely cycle-friendly.

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