Nice green/eco gesture but really not necessary as well as being a costly outlay…
My thoughts wander to the Ferrero Rocher adverts, being Xmas and all.
(Why, Mr. Ambassador) with this “electric car” you are really spoiling us!
True lovers of France (residents or visitors) would not need or expect it, especially in the more rural locations.
Having said that, I would definitely consider an electric car for my own personal use in the future.
My consideration with regard to second-hand is that you wouldn’t know the charge history of the battery. Additionally, most manufacturers of electric vehicles only seem to guarantee their batteries up to a maximum kilometer distance travelled by the vehicle (a bit like the old 100Km warranty on thermal combustion engines), and my understanding was that replacing the batteries is disproportionately expensive.
Alex, i agree, like you say the buyer doesnt know the charging/discharging history of the battery pack. First series Prius around 5500€, second and third series around 3500€, fourth series with much better battery packs around 6000€. Renault offer first time buyers the choice of renting the second battery pack for 3 years for about 1200€ per annum based on the milage. The disadvantages totally outweigh the advantages of a lecky gokart and they will for a long time to come. I will stick to my gas guzzler both on the road and in the air.
Thanks Alex, that’s useful information.
To be fair, I’ve gone hybrid, with a long business lease. It works for me because I tend to do fairly regular short journeys to the office and back home, coupled with much longer drives around Europe for which full-electric is not yet suitable (nor practical). If I lived near a city in Holland or lowland Belgium, I would almost certainly have gone all-electric, but I don’t and the hills of the Massif Central are not kind to any kind of engine !
Yes - I’m actually looking for a plug-in hybrid myself for exactly the same reasons - probably a secondhand but recent-ish Prius - I don’t anticipate any charging problems here in Brittany, but occasionally do much longer journeys, including to other countries that are less developed (like the UK!).
https://signatureclassicwatches.space/
Nice terraced propert y convenient for Ruffec?TGV, 1 bed, 2 bed 3 beds, see above
An electric car might assuage the guilt of those attending…
http://www.angouleme-tourisme.com/900-circuit-international-des-remparts-d-angouleme
Last year I hired a Zoe in Brittany for four days. Didn’t ever pay to charge it. Drove quite decent distances. It was great. My first try of one. If I lived in Europe I’d get one for sure. Maybe you could get one and use it yourself, but let guests use it when you have them, so have a back up car.
However you look at it, that is a HUGE cost for a small B&B. You only have plans for one car, so guessing you are not planning accommodation with several rooms? Speaking as a Chartered Accountant, I would be extremely surprised if you could charge enough extra to cover the cost - and I do assume your objective is to make money on this project, not just a hobby? With Brexit now a certainty, and the possible reduction in UK visitors to France, you may already facing a challenge to get a new business off the ground.
I would concentrate on extremely comfortable accommodation, great food, impeccably clean, and huge hospitality smile! Combined with good value for money, works every time, why do you feel you need to do more? I would buy a few electric bikes and let the guests use those while they are there, much more affordable.
As a UK passport holder (assumed) and not business history, leasing a car for your new business in France is not at all easy. You have no credit history here and will have to jump through some very high hoops to get anyone to agree to it.
I think that is probably my main concern, The margins on gîtes are not massive, so using a significant chunk of potential profit on this could stretch things too far. We have an eco-label, based on materials used in renovation, heating method, cleaning products etc etc etc. And our USP is I suppose the supply of organic fruit, veg and herbs. So all hugely cheaper than an electric car!
Work through your business plan with care, as there are many small costs associated with running a gite that add up quickly.
Do people ask for a car when they are renting a gite?
It’s not something people expect - but some of our guests do hire cars and ask us to advise on where, etc - so to have one on site is I think likely to be a selling point, if well marketed.
Bikes definitely work - we have ourselves many times chosen places to stay precisely because they provide bikes for guests.
I think that it would be an insurance headache and that you would never recoup the investment.
Thinking and being green is good for all to practice and every little helps but buying an electric car to accompany a gite! Have you ever run a business, hire or otherwise?
There are more sensible ways to save the planet.
Why not test the market first - offer ebikes the first year, tell your guests you’re considering providing a car and ask whether it would be of interest to them. Good way to bring them back, too 
I agree the level of investment is far too high to simply take a flyer at it. And it’s always good to show clients that you’re reinvesting and improving your offer year on year. If you start off with all the bells and whistles from day one, what are you going to introduce next year?
I get the point of providing transport for gite customers.
Many years ago I went to a government auction & saw about 50 ex army Renault 4s being sold off. Many had low kms & were in very good condition. They were all biege (not matt green) & were in civilian spec.
At about 600 euros a piece I thought of buying a few to rent out as my theory was that most gite renters do not travel very far so the lack of aircon & other toys would not be that important for trips in to town & to local tourist spots.
Although I did buy a few I never worked out an insurance cost in order to do car hire.
We did paint one up to take to a military vehicle show in the UK though. A true “green” Renault 4!
Better, in my view, to offer excellent accommodation and leave out those extras (like a car/e-bike), which might well let you down and thus earn you black-marks from your guests.
Unless you have a fleet of vehicles/electric-bikes as backup, it is bound to happen that a guest will have an accident or the vehicle/electric-bike will breakdown (whatever)… and the guest will be left high and dry… and it will, of course be your fault. 
There are so many angles/possibilities which are beyond your control. Yes, Insurers may offer a replacement, but in what timescale and what if one is not available due to a glitch somewhere along the line.
The bottom line is that your guest will hold you responsible for all and any shortcomings… and you will have “bad reports” on the various websites.
Re transport: ordinary bicycles… provided they are properly maintained… are more or less foolproof. OK a puncture can happen to anybody… and learning how to patch one can be part of the Holiday-Experience… 
Of course, it is a good idea to have details of Hire Companies… but let the guest do the necessary… let them take the responsibility… 
Thanks everyone for your considered and helpful comments. As many of you suggest it sounds as if it would be an expensive luxury. We will of course focus on having excellent accommodation, hopefully in a location where people can travel to us by train as a more environmentally alternative that driving. Having some bikes does sound a better idea, electric or otherwise, and we’ll certainly try and minimise the impact of our activities, and those of our guests, on the environment. I’ve been reading Caro Freely’s excellent books about running a vineyard organically and will certainly try and offer our guests organic food and wine. Looking forward to sampling a couple of bottles of Chateau Freely with Christmas dinner this year!