---
title: "Everyone in This French Town Just Got a Free Electric Car"
description: "The electric automaker Renault just gave every household in the tiny French town Appy a free lease on its electric cars to prove they work in rural areas."
date: "2020-07-28"
modified: "2020-07-28"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/french-town-everyone-free-electric-car"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "electric cars"
  - "the digest"
  - "transportation"
---

# Everyone in This French Town Just Got a Free Electric Car

![The electric automaker Renault just gave every household in the tiny French town Appy a free lease on its electric cars to prove they work in rural areas.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/french-town-got-free-electric-cars.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Renault\</em\>*

## You Get A Car!

The electric automaker Renault just gave every household in the tiny French town of Appy a free three-year lease for one of its electric cars.

Is it a PR stunt? Yes. Could it also do some good along the way? It's possible! *[Business Insider ](<https://www.businessinsider.com/renault-gives-french-town-free-zoe-evs-lease-france-electric-2020-7>)*[reports](<https://www.businessinsider.com/renault-gives-french-town-free-zoe-evs-lease-france-electric-2020-7>) that the company is trying to demonstrate that electric vehicles can be useful to people living in remote or rural areas, rather than just city-slickers, like many assume. And while the end goal is more car sales for Renault, wider adoption of clean energy wouldn't be so bad either.

## And YOU Get A Car!

The whole campaign involves fewer cars than one might think: [As of 2017](<https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4269674?geo=COM-09012>), only 25 people lived in Appy in total. Grouping residents together into households means that Renault isn't exactly breaking bank on this stunt.

But all the same, *Business Insider* reports that each home will get a [Renault Zoe](<https://futurism.com/five-of-the-most-futuristic-cars-unveiled-at-the-geneva-motor-show>) electric car and a home charging unit. Renault will also construct one public charging station — the EV equivalent of a gas pump — in the town.

## Whole Package

Ironically, it's that last part that will make widespread EV adoption easier. With government subsidies, electric cars like the Zoe are [already extremely cheap](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/subsidies-electric-cars-literally-free-germany>) in Europe.

But it's the [lack of infrastructure](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/gasoline-iced-tesla-charger>) like public chargers, coupled with limited battery range, that actually makes it difficult to switch from gas to electric.

**READ MORE:** [Renault just gave an entire French town free EVs to prove it's easy to go electric](<https://www.businessinsider.com/renault-gives-french-town-free-zoe-evs-lease-france-electric-2020-7>) \[*Business Insider*\]

**More on electric vehicles:** *[Subsidies Mean This Electric Car Is Literally Free in Germany](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/subsidies-electric-cars-literally-free-germany>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)