30,000 EV chargers on major French roads by 2035

Some 30,000 electric vehicle charging points are to be installed across the country’s autoroute (motorway) and route nationale (RN) networks by 2035, according to government targets unveiled in April.

The chargers are expected to be installed mainly in aires de repos (service areas), with 8,000 reserved for lorries.

Details of how the plan will be financed were not provided, but it is likely that government budgets between 2026 and 2035 will include provisions to improve the nation’s infrastructure, which will encompass the charging plan.

“The future of electric vehicles (EVs) depends on a recharging network that is fit for purpose, to guarantee that people can travel serenely in electric vehicles, including for medium- and long-distance trips,” the minister for transport, Philippe Tabarot, said.

“That is the ambition of this plan, which will increase the number of charging points fivefold on RN roads and autoroutes by 2035 for cars.

“We will also be entering a new era by launching a mass deployment of chargers for heavy goods vehicles, showing our determination to decarbonise road transport.”

Coordination between at least six government agencies from various ministries will be required to implement the plan.

There are currently around 4,500 charging points on the RN network, and 7,500 fast chargers on autoroutes.

Together, autoroutes and the RN network account for 2% of the roads in France, but a third of the total distance driven in the country takes place on them.

EV chargers in France

Chargers in France are predominantly owned and operated by private companies, and the electricity they supply is considerably more expensive than that used for charging at home.

Part of the plan will see the introduction of signs giving the price per kWh of electricity from each charging point, in the same way that petrol and diesel prices have to be displayed at filling stations.

Bank cards will be accepted at all charging points, and the chargers themselves will be compatible with all electric cars, regardless of the vehicle’s charging port.

Not all existing aires de repos have electricity connections powerful enough for EV charging points. Part of the government’s plan for 2035 is to improve the electricity network.

For the state-run RN network, existing charging points within three kilometres of an RN road will be included within the target numbers.

Enedis, the main electricity distribution network operator in France, estimates that the cost of supplying electricity connections to the aires de repos under the plan will be €436million.

Most of the new cables will be relatively straightforward to install, but for some, between two and three years’ work will be required.