Lidl Starts Offering Fast Charging for Electric Vehicles

The German retail giant Lidl has partnered with ABB E-mobility and DBT to provide fast and ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations. A first.

For those who still find the installation of charging stations too slow in France, good news could come from retail players. Taking advantage of a very wide network across France, Lidl has just inaugurated its first e-station in Villefranche-sur-Saône, able to accommodate up to 13 vehicles at the same time.

The German chain, which already has 2,300 charging points in over 500 Lidl supermarkets (out of 1,590 nationwide), already offers recharging at rates more attractive than the average (starting from 25 cents per kWh for standard charging, 40 cents per kWh for fast charging, up to 360 kW).

On these ultra-high capacity chargers, compatible electric cars can recover up to 350 km in just 15 minutes.

By the end of 2022, four Lidl e-stations are expected to be available: Villefranche-sur-Saône, Landivisiau, Les Pennes-Mirabeau, and Tourcoing. Accessible 24/7, they are equipped with solar panels on their roofs.

In detail, each e-station will feature 13 charging points:

• 4 accelerated charging points – AC – 22 kW
• 4 fast charging points – DC – up to 90 kW
• 5 ultra-fast charging points – DC – from 180 kW up to 360 kW.

Payment Options at Lidl

Another important detail, Lidl will offer two different payment methods at its e-charging stations:

RFID card payment: holders of the Freshmile or HTB pass (the operator chosen by Lidl) will pay the price indicated on the station without additional fees. For other drivers, additional charges (fixed per kWh or per minute) may be added depending on their operator to the price displayed on the station.

QR code payment: drivers will pay the price indicated on the station, with no additional fees, but a fixed fee of €0.50 will be charged if the charge is less than 1 kWh.

Read also: An electric city car rental in Lidl