After having reached the milestone of 100,000 electric terminals, France has set itself the objective of deploying 400,000 in 2030. In view of the increase in the number of electric cars, several experts believe that this figure will not be sufficient.
100,000 electrical terminals in France. This symbolic threshold has been reached by France, marking a strong acceleration of the infrastructures necessary for the development of the electric car. From now on, the new objective is to reach 400,000 terminals in 2030, as Emmanuel Macron declared at the last Paris Motor Show.
“We are on a trajectory that allows us to do it”, assures on Europe 1 Clément Beaune, Minister of Transport.
Clément Beaune admits the delay taken so far by France. But to achieve the new objective, he says that “we will give ourselves the means”.
It remains to be seen whether these 400,000 terminals will be sufficient in the face of the ever-growing fleet of electric vehicles. According to data from AAA Data, there are currently 650,000 electric vehicles in circulation in France. This figure could be multiplied by 10 by 2030. Between 2021 and 2022, electric vehicles purchased in France rose by 3.4% to reach 11.7%, notes the AAA.
A million terminals
Avere estimates that it will be necessary to reach up to 480,000 charging points open to the public just for light vehicles. For Arthur Jouannic of the LCP Delta firm, it would take at least twice as much.
“More than 1 million terminals in 2030. This is essential. Today, given current market conditions, we are planning around 600,000 terminals by 2030, which would be insufficient”, he says.
The multiplication of charging points is not enough, warn some players.
“What matters is also the quality of the charging”, notes Matthieu Dischamps, General Manager France of Powerdot, one of the main operators of fast charging stations in France.
Currently, France has around 10% of fast charging point beyond 50 kW of power. These facilities allow you to recharge your vehicle in 20 to 30 minutes for the sum of around 30 euros, depending on the size of the battery.
Despite everything, France is still in the lead in Europe. It is the second country in Europe in terms of public electrical terminals with 24 sockets per 100,000 inhabitants. France is behind the Netherlands (220 sockets per 100,000 inhabitants), but ahead of Germany which has less than 20 terminals.
