If the short-term rental Although the market for electric 100% vehicles has picked up since the launch of Covid, it is still suffering from a lack of demand from both business and leisure customers. This is due to fears about range, recharging times and charges, etc. This means that combustion-powered vehicles are still the preferred choice for long-distance journeys. " Demand is not there in relation to the percentage of electrification of our fleets, which is currently around 3%. This figure was previously higher, but we reduced our purchases in 2024." says Guirec Grand Clément, President of the shared mobility branch of Mobilians and CEO of Enterprise Mobility France. He also points out that, from 2019 onwards, leasing companies will be subject to the French Law on Mobility (LOM), which requires companies with more than 100 vehicles to green their fleets.
" The utilisation rate for a combustion vehicle is 75%, whereas it falls to 47.5% for an electric vehicle, which is not economically viable for hire companies." he points out. It should be noted that Tesla vehicles are still the easiest to put on the road. " Its tenants are comfortable with this vehicle, as they often have a Tesla in their garage." says Agnès Parmentier, vice-president of the shared mobility division and CEO of Leriche Location.
For these professionals, the reduced use of electric vehicles is akin to a double penalty, since they remain more expensive to buy and have a lower residual value than combustion models when they are resold, after around nine months. This subject, and the need to stimulate demand for electric vehicles among tenants, were therefore at the heart of the Shared Mobility Conference held on 25 March at the Pavillon Royal in Paris.
Encouraging companies to use more electric vehicles
The Finance Bill 2025 should, however, bring a new level of transparency to the financial markets. a serious helping hand to rental agencies in France. As of 1 January, the new law will apply to all rental agencies in France.er In March, short-term leasing of electric vehicles (and plug-in hybrids) can now be included in companies' annual reporting on the greening of their fleets. " It was a battle for Mobilians and we see this amendment as a small victory.says a delighted Guirec Grand Clément. Short-term leasing of electric vehicles is thus becoming a way for companies subject to the incentive tax to accelerate the greening of their fleets." .
In practice, this will mean that they will not have to pay a fine of €2,000 a year for each green vehicle they miss out on as part of their greening trajectory, a penalty that was set to rise to €4,000 and then €5,000 over the coming years. " This is not not insignificant for major groups with large fleets. This point is closely monitored by the fleet manager." says Guirec Grand Clément.
Promoting electric vehicles to companies
Businesses account for 50% of the hire companies' customer base, and the latter are doing everything they can to increase the use of their electric cars. " We are investing in marketing promotion, installing charging points in our branches, training our staff, etc." says Jehan de Thé, vice-president of the shared mobility branch of Mobilians and director of public affairs for the Europcar group. He adds "We have to do educating companies and communicate these new rules via our teams and sales representatives. Especially as it's not uncommon for companies' business travel managers to have no contact with their fleet managers, which doesn't help us." .
The stakes are all the higher for car hire companies because a business traveller may be forced by his company to choose an electric vehicle as part of its travel policy, whereas this is not the case for a leisure hirer. " Fortunately, we have companies that are very keen to make their travel greener. This policy is driven directly by management" he reassures himself. By also working on the leisure segment, the members of the Mobilians shared mobility branch are hoping to achieve a utilisation rate for these vehicles of 60 to 65%.
Other factors should also improve the balance sheet, with falling vehicle prices and optimised recharging times. For the market to take off again, there also needs to be greater visibility and transparency in charging charges, particularly on motorways. These charges can also vary according to charging speed.
