Fast Charging: New Government Boost

To ensure the equipment of highway areas and a better network of fast charging stations, France is launching a call for projects.

By the end of 2021, the French government significantly missed the target of 100,000 stations launched by Jean-Baptiste Djebbari in October 2020. With only 53,667 public charging points (and 700,000 private ones according to Enedis), there is still a lot to do, especially for fast charging.

Currently, few fast charging stations are scattered around highways and major urban centers. Only half of the areas had this type of infrastructure as of last October, reports AVERE-France. There were 176, roughly double compared to January 2021, a figure likely exceeding 200 today. The association recalls that the 440 areas in France are obliged to offer fast charging by the end of 2022.

Government aid to meet its objectives

To accelerate progress, the government is launching a new call for projects. It is titled “Support for the deployment of high-power charging stations for electric vehicles”. Funding amounts to €100 million in 2022 alone, and will total €300 million over the next three years.

Indeed, local authorities and private operators can submit their requests until December 31, 2024. Under the authority of ADEME, the project call can support up to 40% of the installation costs. The first phase will take place on July 11, 2022, the Ministry for Ecological Transition specifies.

Details specify that stations must contain “at least 4 charging points”, and a minimum power of “150 kW”. However, the project envisions projects with up to 50 connectors in public facilities or even 100 points via companies!

They must ensure an operational rate of 85% of the stations and over “at least 3 years”. Additionally, they must facilitate payment and not exceed “4 times the regulated tariff” over the next five years. Currently at €0.174/kWh, recharging cannot exceed €0.696/kWh.

Who besides Tesla and Ionity?

Although Tesla started in 2013 with Superchargers, responses have been very slow. With the surge in sales of electric vehicles (10% of the market and over 800,000 units) and now on roads, some stations are seeing queues.

In 2022, efforts are noted from Ionity (a consortium of BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, joined by Ford and Hyundai) with its 408 stations across Europe, including about 70 in France. EDF, through its subsidiary, had pulled back from its Corri-Door network but promises to redeploy 300 “Izivia Express” stations by the end of 2023.

Other players are also pushing forward, such as FastNed, Electra, not necessarily on highways. In supermarkets like Casino-Tesla or Norauto-DBT, rapid charging is also available during shopping.

Also read: Q Park parking lots will adopt 4,000 Izivia charging stations