Many countries are determined to lead the way in both production and adoption of EVs in the near future. Several of them including Japan, China, France, and the U.S. feel that they have a legitimate chance at becoming the worldwide leader in this expanding segment of vehicles. But one country, France, is working diligently to bring themselves to the front.
Numerous French Ministers have met and have been working on several projects that are aimed at eliminated carbon dioxide emissions from all modes of transportation. From scooters, to buses, to car, their goal is to electrify everything.
To meet their goals, the ministers have recently given their support and $80 million to fund 11 projects aimed at eliminating emissions. These projects range from incentives to EV buying programs and include a $7,000 discount for EV buyers, government purchasing of 5,000 EVs in the next five years, large companies agreeing to purchase 100,000 EVs in the next 5 years, and the governments plans to install 500,000 charging stations throughout the country over the next three years.
Many of the programs are similar to what is in use in other countries, but France has adopted large scale support for EVs. Additionally, the country aims to move ahead of China in the race to become the world leader in advanced vehicle technologies.
The French mantra that was repeated by French minister Luc Chatel goes like this, "People in China and India want to drive cars. If they drive internal combustion engines, then we are all dead. So they will build electric cars. To stay competitive, we must build them first."
France is not willing to take a back seat in this race. With the EV race heating up, they are determined to move to the front of the pack and stay there.
Source: Wards Auto (Login required)
