Every day, Stéphane travels between Seltz and Strasbourg for work, in an electric car: 120 kilometers round trip, and great savings at the end of the month. “Compared to a thermal car, I spend 25% less money”. And this, without sacrificing speed. “I drive like a diesel or petrol car. If I lower my speed by a few kilometres/hour, I’ll save even more”. It’s already his third electric car, and he doesn’t plan to go back to combustion, “unless taxes on electricity increase”.
He took the plunge in the name of ecology, to reduce his greenhouse gas emissions. A rather secondary argument for Valérie, who bought an electric car a year ago “mainly to save money”. She uses it for short trips, and says to herself “rather satisfied”. Only black point in his eyes: “The charging stations are really not terrible! There are very few of them, and they are crowded. As a result, I charge my car at home almost all the time”.
Electricity explodes in Alsace
The number of public charging stations seems indeed undersized in Alsace. The French Electricity Union identifies one for 22 cars in the Bas-Rhin, and one for 35 in the Haut-Rhin. This is one of the highest rates in France. “It must be said that we are starting from afar”recalls Yoann Nussbaumer, founder of the Strasbourg site ChargeMap and specialist in electric cars. “Alsace was a pioneer in electricity ten years ago, before falling asleep and waking up strongly for a few months.” Since March 2021, the number of electric cars has almost tripled in the two departments.
A craze linked to a favorable context, notes Yoann Nussbaumer. “There is the rise in fuel prices, which is pushing people to question their relationship to diesel or gasoline. The offer in terms of electric vehicles has also diversified a lot, drivers have a lot more choice than before. And there are still a lot of conversion aids, regional and national, that we can benefit from.” The Grand Est Region thus offers aid of up to 4,000 euros, to acquire an electric or clean car for inhabitants of rural areas.