Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Thanks to the Environment News Service

For a great article on France investment in electric mobility. Good news and a giant step forward for EV's.

Let's see more of this worldwide. Keep in mind these investments in infrastructure--making the way for a much cleaner transportation system--also bring new jobs into the economy. Note the financial advantages built into the system.

The headlines:

France Invests 50 Million Euros in Electro-mobility

Part of the story: The link for the balance of the story is: http://ens-newswire.com/2012/10/05/france-invests-50-million-euros-in-electro-mobility/

PARIS, France, October 8, 2012 (ENS) – A new 50 million euro investment program to support electric vehicles and charging infrastructure was launched Wednesday by French transport, environment, energy and finance officials.

The so-called “Hirtzman Mission” is named after Philippe Hirtzman, an electric transport engineer at the Bercy Economic Ministry who is in charge of overseeing the program.

Hirtzman joined Arnaud Montebourg, Minister of Industrial Renewal; Delphine Batho, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy; and Frédéric Cuvillier, Junior Minister for Transport, on October 3 to announce the new program.

Montebourg said that to support the purchase of zero- and low-emission vehicles, the maximum bonus on electric vehicles will be increased from €5,000 to
€7,000 in 2013 and the bonus for hybrid vehicles will be doubled to €4,000.

Corporate and public purchasers also will qualify for the bonus in 2013, and Montebourg said the government will ensure that 25 percent of government vehicles will be electric or hybrid.

Bonuses related to low-emission combustion vehicles will be increased by €100 or 150 as appropriate, the officials said, and these increases will be valid until the end of 2012.

The new funding will cover deployment of charging stations on highways, in parks and in public parking lots such those at supermarkets and shopping centers.

Electric cars will benefit from a “preferential rate” for road tolls and parking, the officials announced.

Cities or regions of more than 200,000 inhabitants will be eligible for program funding, they said.

The new investment is part of the automobile plan presented on July 25 by the Minister of Industrial Renewal..."