Renault, Citroën, Tesla… these electric cars whose prices are exploding
Renault has sharply increased the prices of its electric and plug-in hybrid models. But he’s not the only one. Far from it. Inflation is universal. Tesla, the luxury electric car specialist, is now offering its Model 3 from 53,490 euros. Against 49,990 euros at the end of last spring. The electric Citroën ë-C4 is even more powerful. It now points to 39,700 euros (basic version)… against 36,300 in June. The gasoline version, just took… 1,310 euros increase at the same time. Therefore it is sold for 15,490 euros less than Citroën ë-C4 basic electric. It’s a lot.
The Peugeot e-2008 electric compact SUV has become more expensive for its part by 2,900 euros compared to June. The base price has now reached 40,950 euros, while the fuel equivalent has increased by 2,420. At stake: 14,380 euros is the difference between the two. At Volkswagen, the so-called zero-emission ID.3, a competitor of the ë-C4, starts well at 46,100 euros. It has increased in six months by 1,420 euros, while the comparable Golf fuel has grown by only 375 euros. The ID.3 therefore costs 15,400 euros more than the basic Golf. The small Renault Zoe, pioneer of the electric, climbed for its share to 35,100 euros in the basic version. Or 2,300 euros more than at the beginning of last summer. Zoé costs twice as much as an entry-level thermal Clio (17,800 euros).
Also plug-in hybrids
Same inflation with plug-in hybrids. The hybrid Peugeot 308 took 2,820 euros to 40,870, the Citroën C5 Aircross SUV 3,000 euros to 44,750. Then again, it’s only a 180 horsepower version, whereas in June, the C5 Aircross range started with a 225 horsepower plug-in hybrid engine. The difference in the gasoline version amounts to a small 14,100 euros. The Renault Captur plug-in hybrid small SUV has increased by 1,000 euros to 37,950. The thermal version grew by only 500. The plug-in hybrid in its cheapest version costs 14,050 more than the petrol model.
According to the magazine Auto More, the price of the Tesla Model 3 has increased by 11,700 euros since last January (including discounts and bonuses). A Peugeot 308 plug-in hybrid reached 4,100 euros in almost a year, a Volkswagen Tiguan plug-in hybrid also 3,700. The market is therefore not moving towards a democratization of electrified vehicles. belt The cheapest electric on the market, the Dacia Spring, has now exceeded the 20,000 euro mark (20,800 euros, against 16,990 when it was launched in the spring of 2021).
Raw materials: ratio of 1 to 3
It is true that the raw materials used in an electric model are almost three times more expensive than a gasoline one. It explains that. The basket of raw materials for an electric car comes to just over 5,076 dollars per car, compared to just 1,851 for a standard thermal car. This makes a difference of more than 3,200 euros per vehicle, according to the latest study by Alix Partners published in October. Big True, these costs have decreased since last spring – by 37% for gasoline vehicles, by only 25% in electric ones. But specific raw materials for electric vehicles (lithium, cobalt, nickel) have increased since last summer. As a result, compared to the low point of spring 2020, the total cost of raw materials remains 75% higher for electric cars, 27% for thermal cars, according to the consultant’s latest score.
That is why it is not surprising that the price of cars is increasing, especially the price of electric vehicles. Alix Partners emphasizes that you need to travel now… 215,000 km with an electric model to catch up with the additional cost compared to a thermal car (135,000 including the super-bonuses offered by the States for the purchase of a zero emission model) … And this, including the additional cost of raw materials but also the comparative price of electricity and fuel. The hardest to earn is still the rechargeable hybrid. You have to drive 270,000 kilometers there to break even the extra cost compared to a simple gasoline vehicle.
