France’s first 100% electric service station set to open in 2026
Station in Brittany will include six ultra-fast charging points
The station is designed exclusively to charge electric vehicles
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France’s first service station designed to serve exclusively electric and hybrid vehicles is set to open in Brittany next year.
The station in Saint-Yvi (Finistère) on the RN165 will contain six ultra-fast electric charging points, one of which will be designated for heavy goods vehicles – a major factor given Brittany’s role in French agricultural production.
The electricity used for charging vehicles will come from renewable sources, says Dutch company Fastned who will construct the service station.
Alongside the charging ports, it will include facilities including a rest area and shops as well as a garden.
Fastned manages hundreds of service stations across Europe including 53 in France, and in September 2025 inaugurated Europe’s first 100% electric motorway service area in Gentbrugge, Belgium.
High proportion of electric vehicles in Brittany
The Dutch company responded to a call for tenders from the Direction interdépartementale des routes (DIR) Ouest that manages road infrastructure in the area for France’s first fully-electric service station on a major national road.
Brittany is the only region in France to not possess a complete motorway network, following widespread protests against the attempted introduction of tollbooths. The RN165 is one of the region’s major roads and is used by close to 30,000 vehicles every day.
There are around 95,000 electric vehicles on the roads in Brittany, higher than the national average according to Fastned.
“With the increasing number of electric vehicles on the road, France must quickly adapt its road network to be able to offer attractive charging stations that meet user expectations,” said Fastned’s managing director in France Pierre Courgeon.
The scheme is one of several currently focused on improving the French network for electric vehicles, with motorway concessionaire Vinci trialling a motorway that charges vehicle batteries as they drive over it.
Recent studies suggest that second-hand electric vehicles are the cheapest to maintain in France.
Do you have an electric vehicle? Do you think fully electric charging stations are a good idea, and do you think there is a lack of charging ports on motorways at the moment? Let us know via feedback@connexionfrance.com
