You may not have noticed this, but the prices of gasoline and diesel fuel reached new heights last year. Even though we are currently in a “lull” period (notice the quotation marks with the prices still being displayed…), more and more French people decide to equip themselves with ethanol boxes.

The reason is simple: the price of a liter of ethanol is half that of a liter of gasoline, and the cost of installing the box depreciates quickly, as does the excess fuel consumption (estimated at 25 to 30%) compared to unleaded. Top luxury, most regions subsidize the installation of these boxes. An opportunity for us to make a brief overview of the most generous regions.

Ethanol box: municipalities are more generous than regions

For now, according to the Bioethanol Collective published on TF1, no less 370,000 vehicles are equipped with ethanol units approved in France. Installation of this box costs from 700 to 1600 eurosbut it is possible to lower the bill even in 2024. For this, we will not necessarily need to turn to the regions themselves, because some of them stopped this assistance at the end of last year, but rather to the municipalities and the community of municipalities.
For example, from 1^Er Last January, the Ile-de-France region no longer offered subsidies. Local aid is still available, notably in Damard-les-Lies (Seine-et-Marne), where the town will cover 40% of the fund amount, with a maximum limit of €800, while the community of the communes of Montero-Fol-Yonne in the Seine and Marni will refund 50% of the amount paid, with a maximum limit of €800.
On the Haute-France side, the region offers assistance equivalent to 40% of the cost of converting a car, not exceeding 400 euros, depending on resources. This assistance is in addition to the existing departmental assistance. In Normandy (but only in Seine-Maritime), the “Mon Kit Bioethanol 76” system offers a financial incentive of €250, depending on resources, to convert petrol-powered cars to superethanol-E85 by installing a box counterpart.

Departments can also take over

In Burgundy-Franche-Comté (Côte d’Or) from the beginning of 2024, the Côte d’Or department provided a subsidy of €200 to switch to bioethanol without resource requirements, limited to two installations per household. In New Aquitaine, and more precisely in Libourne, the municipality offers subsidies of 200 to 400 euros, depending on the resource conditions.
In Occitania, in the Cœur de Lozère community, eligible residents can receive a subsidy of up to 50% of the installation cost, i.e. up to €400. In addition, the Grand Albigensian offers assistance of 50% of the housing cost, not exceeding 300 euros, subject to income conditions.
In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, we are quite generous, as the South/PACA region has established a “transitional ethanol check” of €500 for the supply and installation of an approved bioethanol conversion unit, covering up to 50% of its cost. This assistance does not depend on the conditions of provision.

In addition, the Nice-Côte d’Azur metropolitan area offers a subsidy of up to €300 for the first 1,000 verified requests.