Minister of SMEs Olivia Grégoire indicated during a debate in the Senate that France should reach the threshold of 100,000 charging stations in the second quarter of 2023.
The target of 100,000 charging stations open to electric cars in France, initially set for 2021, should be reached in the second quarter of 2023, SME Minister Olivia Grégoire said on Tuesday. France had nearly 83,000 charging points at the end of 2022, after accelerated deployment (+53%) over the year, according to the barometer of the National Association for the Development of Electric Mobility (Avere).
“The objective of 100,000 terminals should be reached in the second quarter of 2023”, assured Olivia Grégoire during a debate in the Senate on the electric car.
“We got a little late, I don’t deny it: the context was a bit difficult,” said the minister, citing in particular the shortage of electronic chips that has hit the automotive industry for two years.
Third most equipped European country
France is the third most equipped country in Europe behind the Netherlands and Germany which concentrate half of the terminals. On motorways, all areas of the APRR and AREA networks are now equipped, as required by law. The areas of the Sanef network are 85% equipped and those of the Vinci network should all be equipped by the end of 2023. Nearly 90% of charging points offer slow charging, according to the Avere barometer, and less than 7% offer a charging power greater than 150 kW, allowing a vehicle’s batteries to be fully charged in a few tens of minutes.
While new vehicles will be 100% electric in Europe in 2035, the automotive industry insists on the deployment of charging stations for electric vehicles. If motorists mainly charge at home, these public terminals are essential to reassure them on long journeys.
The share of electric cars continued to grow on the French market in 2022, reaching 13% of total registrations, compared to 10% the previous year. Olivia Grégoire also indicated that the government would present “in March” a plan to develop retrofitting, which consists of converting thermal vehicles to electric.
