As of November 30, 2023, France had 114,386 publicly accessible charging points, representing a +48% increase in one year.
In the eleventh month, 3,177 new points were put into service, according to a study conducted by Avere-France and the Ministry of Energy Transition based on the Gireve database.
Renault, TotalEnergies, and Bouygues are the main contributors to this success.
“This performance also drove us to surpass the mark of 30,000 charging points installed this year, equivalent to all those deployed between 2014 and 2020,” says Clément Molizon, General Delegate of Avere-France.
In addition, the representative details that “The charging density has already reached 170 points for every 100,000 inhabitants, highlighting a network that continues to expand across the entire territory.”
On a continental level, France also holds a prominent position, ranking third among countries with the most public chargers in Europe.
In this regard, the EU country leading this list is the Netherlands, with 111,821 units. Following are Germany (87,674), France (83,317), and Italy (37,186).
Facing the future, the French aims to have over 400,000 electric vehicle charging points on its road network by 2030, of which 50,000 will be fast.
What are the companies with the highest number of charging stations in France?
The country features a diverse number of companies contributing to the deployment of charging points across its territory.
The following firms have installed stations with varied distribution and are responsible for units located in both rural and urban areas.
The leading brand is Renault, a national company responsible for about a quarter of all charging points throughout the country.
It has around 29,000 in France, located in public parking lots, shopping centers, within the highway network, in car-sharing networks, and at car dealerships.
These numbers are also big in the whole continent, since they own over 500,000 units in Europe.
Additionally, Renault boasts 400 stations equipped with terminals that enable fast charging mode (1 hour and 30 minutes of charging up to 80%).
The second of the list is TotalEnergies, of native origin and founded in 1924, although it adopted its current name only in 2021.
The company is responsible for deploying 18,000 charging points throughout the national territory.
It aims to create 1,000 fast-charging stations and 150,000 points in Europe by 2028, with half of them in France.
Another notable name among the leading companies is Bouygues, also French and founded in 2013.
It is known for collaborating with local authorities, energy associations, and businesses, and already has over 15,000 charging points in France.
In the same line, state-owned Electricité De France (EDF) and Carrefour also play a significant role in the distribution of charging units.
Companies in the sector continue to invest in the country, anticipating exponential growth in EV users in France.
Currently, more than one million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are on the roads, and by 2035, the estimate is around 17 million, according to a forecasting study conducted by Enedis in 2021.
It is worth noting that in recent years, the idea of INCIT-EV has gained significance with the support of the European Commission. This is a project aimed at further enhancing the experience of electric vehicle users.
This strategy helps achieve the decarbonization goals set by the EU for 2050, which is the corresponding year for reaching carbon neutrality.
The overall project budget is over €18 millon with an EU contribution of €15 million.
As part of the project, the Finance Committee of the National Assembly has approved an amendment to support the installation of electric car charging points in private homes.
The assistance will be increased by €200 starting from January 1st.
Read more: Which EVs qualify for the ecological bonus from the French government?
