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4 months in the past, the main French cost level operators (CPOs) united in a “fraternity” or skilled affiliation below the identify “Cost France.” It began with 13 members. Presently, there are 18, all exploiting a community of DC quick charging stations with a number of chargers. Tesla and a few latest entries into the French market will not be amongst them, simply as the numerous operators of AC charging or small DC charging operators are lacking.
5 years in the past, the French charging panorama was a nightmare. The CPO that exploited most chargers alongside the motorways had a dispute a couple of software program patch for a single charger and shut down the entire community for months. I found this when travelling to Paris for a Renault press occasion about its EV programme for the approaching years. The response of the French authorities was crickets.
On the similar time, the German federal authorities had realized that the rollout of DC quick charging was going too slowly and was too troublesome for the (largely younger) corporations that attempted to construct the infrastructure. Germany began the Deutschlandnetz mission in 2019 and mentioned it might have over a thousand backed areas prepared for the CPOs in two years. Then it found that it was actually too troublesome, even for the federal administration. It took over 4 years, and through that point many CPOs waited with their funding in new areas.
The French authorities took motion later, but it surely did have a far simpler activity. Most motorways in France are toll roads owned by personal corporations. Additionally they personal and handle the motorway relaxation areas (MRA). The minister mandated DCFC on all MRA inside 2 years. Simple peasy for the administration. Chaos for the motorway corporations and the CPOs that attempted to get a concession.
Above is a desk of corporations within the affiliation that I may discover some knowledge on-line from, one lower than within the unique press launch. It’s made by visiting their web sites and translating them as wanted, producing blended outcomes. The variety of stations shouldn’t be clear for some. Some publish AC and DC collectively, solely the variety of plugs, or no understandable knowledge in any respect. With the numbers of 4 corporations lacking, this desk reveals about 2,800 stations with DC chargers.
Studying the advantageous print, it’s not about all DC quick chargers, it is just in regards to the high-power charging (HPC) chargers. These are techniques that may cost at a fee of 100kW or extra, and people numbers will not be on any web site.
I consider they’ve 2,000+ stations with 10,000+ charging plugs amongst them. The unique information was that they supposed so as to add 3 times the present quantity by 2028, going from 2,000/10,000 to eight,000/40,000. However later publications speak about tripling the put in base. That’s going to a “mere” 6,000/30,000.
The anticipated funding is over €3 billion. Even 4,000 stations with 4 chargers every will seemingly price extra, however the present development is to construct bigger stations. Even with most stations, city and rural, a minimal of 4 chargers with a mean of 6 feels extra seemingly.
However that is my opinion, as a Monday-morning quarterback. I don’t know in regards to the wants of sparsely populated rural France. Maybe they want primarily easy-to-reach stations with simply two chargers.
The extra necessary factor is that this initiative will make quick charging out there to most of France inside an appropriate distance. This reveals the ambition to allow France to change into one of many main international locations within the transition to scrub driving. Even dwelling on the earth’s charging paradise, I’m a bit jealous.
Quite a bit has modified for the higher in France. Charging nervousness will quickly be a reminiscence of one other period in France.
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