Good deal: how to recharge for free at Carrefour?

The large retail group has turned electric recharging into its Trojan horse to attract new customers, even offering free energy. Conditions apply.

How can a law become a commercial advantage? When the Senate amended, in November 2022, the legislation on the development of solar energy production in France by requiring parking lots with 80 or more spaces to be covered with photovoltaic canopies, Carrefour thought about how to turn the situation to its advantage.

According to the Senate report, the potential of the measure could be an annual production of 11 gigawatts, equivalent to about ten nuclear reactors… funded not by taxpayers, but by the relevant companies. Including Carrefour. Furthermore, under the law, which officially takes effect on July 1, 2023, parking lots with more than 400 spaces will have three years to comply, compared to five years for those with 80 to 400 spaces.

Always in the case of Carrefour, and because the “threat” was known, they did not want to waste time and jumped into the fray. Thus, in early April 2023, the supermarket chain inaugurated its hundredth electric vehicle charging station. With already 850 chargers operational, Carrefour also becomes the leading charging network in France, ahead of Tesla, Ionity, or Electra! By the end of 2023, Carrefour even aims to triple this figure with 200 additional stations, at an average rate of one station per day. By 2025, Carrefour targets 800 stations and 5,000 chargers.

Carrefour offers free recharging

The shift towards electric vehicles and their charging times will bring new consumption habits. That is Carrefour’s bet. Price will obviously be at the center of consumers’ attention, as will the “masking” of charging time during other activities… like shopping. To meet all needs, the supermarket chain’s parking lots offer three types of chargers and three rates for those who wish to recharge without shopping inside the store:

• €0.30/kWh for 22 kW chargers
• €0.49/kWh for 50 kW chargers
• €0.54/kWh for 150 kW chargers

These rates, already very competitive, are made even more attractive for Carrefour loyalty card holders or the PASS card: they are offered 1 hour of free charging each day at a 22 kW charger. That’s about a €6 savings or 100 kilometers of driving! Or roughly €2,190 annually or 36,500 km free!

Concerned with supporting customers’ purchasing power, Carrefour Energies also offers one hour of free charging on 22 kW chargers for all loyalty card or PASS card holders, representing a customer benefit of between €3 and €6. Competitors will not stay idle, and the energy battle will primarily benefit the customer.