Incentives spark electric vehicle sales in France; 187 sold last month

During the month of April, 106 Citroen C-Zeros, 76 Peugeot iOns, two Tesla Roadsters, a pair of Mitsubishi i-MiEVs and a lone Nissan Leaf were sold and registered in France. That's 187 electric vehicles. Of the battery-powered Peugeot iOns, 41 were purchased by a car sharing service in Nice and 20 by a company in Lyon.

France's incentive of 5,000 euros ($7,150 U.S. at the current exchange rate) for purchasing vehicles that emit less than 50 grams of CO2 per kilometer has reportedly led to increased sales of plug-ins. On the flip side, sales of vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanked in the month of April after the termination of France's incentive of 2,000 euro ($2,860 U.S.). Only 114 LPG-fueled vehicles were sold nationwide last month. The contrast between sales of electric vehicles and LPG-fueled autos suggests that plug-in vehicles could face difficulties when incentive programs end.

[Source: Ward's Auto – sub. req.]