The proposals keep arriving in the public debate to help drivers cope with soaring fuel prices. The latest example: creating a “rural Navigo pass” to offer an electric car for $50 a month. The idea comes from the Jean-Jaurès Foundation.
A solution to help rural areas
For weeks now, the situation at gas stations has worsened. Gasoline is now costing around $3.00 per gallon, and in some parts of the country the price has crept toward $4. It’s an unsustainable strain on motorists’ finances. As a result, a number of solutions are being proposed—from one side to the other—to improve the daily lives of Americans. Among them is an alternative proposed by the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, which would like to see the creation of a “rural Navigo pass”.
The aim is to assist rural areas that typically have little choice but to rely on a conventional gasoline-powered car and pay the pump price whenever they fill up. If mass transit can be an alternative in metropolitan areas, the countryside has less of a chance. That’s why the Foundation has proposed a mobility-passes model for rural communities.
A measure costing 10 billion euros
The objective would be to offer an electric car for only $50 per month. In other words, it would be half of the most affordable option within the scope of social leasing. Put differently, obtaining an electric model at that price would be a real windfall. The organization explains that this “rural Navigo pass” would aim to move electrification into a new phase of its development. Yet the issue remains the same: public finances.
Given that social leasing cost €680 million (about $735 million) in its first edition for a total of 50,000 vehicles, this measure would require roughly €10 billion (about $10.8 billion). A very large cost, but according to the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, it is necessary:
“A million vehicles is therefore not merely a cost. It is a condition of economic success. Ensuring a rent in the order of $50 per month for a vehicle like the Citroën e-C3 requires economic support of around $10,000 per car.” Another problem: whether manufacturers would agree to take back, after a long-term rental, the electric vehicles in the dealerships.
On paper, the idea looks promising. However, it seems hardly feasible that the State would, once again, spend €10 billion. Especially at a time when the government is looking to trim the budget for 2027.
