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Charging infrastructure: France wants to catch up

2022-05-17T09:08:29.405Z


SURVEY - Manufacturers, operators, installers: all electromobility players are working hard to build a public network capable of responding to the increase in the electric fleet.


The government promised 100,000 charging stations at the end of last year.

It is clear that the commitment was not kept.

On April 30, 2022, France had 60,040 charging points open to the public (source: Avere-France).

A mediocre result that drops France to eleventh place among the most “electrocompatible” countries, according to a recent study published by the long-term rental company Leaseplan.

“This number of 100,000 terminals was not taken out at random, explains Clément Molizon, deputy general delegate at Avere-France.

It was signed by the state and car manufacturers in 2018. This agreement provided for a fleet of one million electrified cars in 2021 and was based on a ratio advised by Brussels of one charging station for ten vehicles. »

At the time,

electric car sales accounted for 2% market share.

At the end of April, their penetration was 12%, to which must be added the 10% of rechargeable hybrids.

Shortage of components

Sylvain Reisser

If, with approximately 14 electric vehicles per charging point, France seems to be approaching the European recommendation, the car fleet is nevertheless evolving faster than the infrastructure.

Since the start of the year, sales of electric vehicles have increased by 40%, which creates a lag.

“The reasons for this delay are multiple.

Starting with the pandemic which has delayed a number of projects.

Then, the 2020 municipal elections shifted some facilities.

Finally, we must not forget that the terminals are also bearing the full brunt of the shortage of electronic components”, enumerates Clément Molizon.

But all the actors are confident.

"You don't necessarily have to look at the number of terminals, but the dynamics put in place", tempers Mathias Laffont,

director of uses and territories within the French Electricity Union (UFE).

Their number has actually increased by 55% in one year.

And the acceleration is stronger on fast charging stations, even if, in volume, they remain largely in the minority.

“A year after the disappearance of the old Corri-Door network which had been established in 2015 on the motorways, 40% of the service areas again had charging points”, he continues.

By the end of 2022, almost all of them, i.e. 428 areas, should be equipped with fast charging stations, between 150 and 350 kW according to the operators.

There is also not a month where the motorway companies do not announce a call for tenders signed with an operator like the French TotalEnergies or Engie, the Dutch Fastned or the consortium of car manufacturers Ionity, to name but a few.

Vinci, France's largest motorway concessionaire, said last March that 60% of its areas were equipped with charging stations and is aiming for 100% by the end of next year.

For its part, on April 22, Engie Solutions indicated that it was installing 186 charging points on the motorways of the Sanef network (East, northern France and Normandy).

"The development of infrastructure on motorways and major roads is essential to accelerate the transition to the electric car, because charging over long distances is today one of the main obstacles for the acquisition of an electric car. .

Even if 85% of recharging is done at home or in the office, on private terminals”, underlines Mathias Laffont.

Sylvain Reisser

Motorway companies are not the only ones working hard.

“Many private players, such as large retailers, install fast charging infrastructure in their car parks because it is an additional commercial argument to bring in their customers,” observes Clément Molizon.

A strategy similar to what Leclerc and other Carrefours had implemented several decades ago with gas pumps.

Will it be necessary to install this type of charging points everywhere?

All the players agree that the good ratio of slow terminals to fast terminals varies between 15% and 25% for the latter.

“The most important thing is their location,” underlines Mathias Laffont.

But today, we are still quite far from it.

In effect,

Mandatory terminal maintenance

Although the installation of the 100,000 terminals has therefore been delayed, all the players in the sector nevertheless agree that the contract will probably be completed in the first half of 2023. There remains the availability of the installed terminals.

Who hasn't had the unpleasant experience of coming across a faulty charging station at least once?

“Before 2017, terminal installers had no maintenance obligation,” explains Mathias Laffont.

Since that date, operators are now responsible for infrastructure maintenance.

"But it blocks a little, because as for the installation of the terminals they face the shortage of certain materials", he adds.

And once we hit 100,000?

“Until recently, there was no real roadmap, we note at the UFE.

A few days after his victory in the presidential election, Emmanuel Macron promised an investment of 6 billion euros devoted to aid for purchase and social leasing, retrofitting and the installation of "at least 500,000 terminals public by 2027.

“There is no golden figure for public charging stations, relates Clément Molizon.

But according to studies, we estimate that there will be a need for 330,000 to 480,000 terminals by the end of the decade.

At this date, certain studies published by non-governmental organizations such as Transport & Environnement or ICCT (International Council on Clean Transportation), cited by Avere-France,

estimate that the fleet of electrified vehicles will be between 5.5 and 7.5 million units.

Others, as part of the consultations for the next national low-carbon strategy, expect nearly 10 million units.

Will this be enough?

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-05-17

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