Fast charging landscape in France – September update
A few months ago, we published an analysis of the evolution of fast charging players. Over a couple of months, the landscape has already evolved. This is why we analysed the differences and looked at what trends they could illustrate, 7 months later.
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Executive Summary
Following a first analysis of fast charging in France in February 2024, this paper looks into the EV fast-charging landscape evolution over the past 6 months. Over this short period, the top 10 (Charging Point Operators) in terms of charging point installed has evolved, with retail-focused CPOs like PowerDot, Electra and IZIVIA emerging as industry leaders. The significant changes illustrate deeper trends of the market, such as the increasing importance of retail locations as key EV charging hubs, providing convenient solutions for consumers and driving the sector’s expansion.
Introduction
Private charging, whether at residential or corporate locations, currently represents over 90% of all charging points in Europe, and this dominance is expected to continue in the coming years. Nevertheless, the industry remains focused on expanding public charging infrastructure to meet the needs of EV drivers traveling long distances and to address range anxiety, which is a main barrier to EV adoption. Fast and ultra-fast charging is particularly important for these scenarios. As previously analyzed (see Paper 4), ultra-fast charging can recharge a vehicle in under 30 minutes, although the actual charging speed is often limited by the lower capacity of either the vehicle or the charging station.
This sector has undergone significant evolution in recent years, but it has also evolved consequently over the past 6 months in France, with unexpected shifts of player growth.
Ultra-fast lvl 1: 50 kW < Power Output < 150 kW
Ultra-fast lvl 2: Power Output ≥ 150 kW
Evolution of the stakeholders
As mentioned in previous analysis, the number of operators has surged from 14 in 2020 to over a hundred today. Despite this, by the end of 2023, five CPOs control half of the ultra-fast chargers. By mid-2024 the top 5 has already evolved, with the impressive growth of retail-focused CPOs like PowerDot and Electra.
PowerDot now takes the lead of the list with the highest number of fast-charging points installed in France. CPO strategy must be considered when comparing the number of charging points though, as the deployment pace also depends on the use case targeted. Powerdot focuses on destination charging and deploys its infrastructure on retail locations such as supermarkets, banks and malls, while Tesla meets en-route needs and deploys its infrastructure mainly on highways.
Izivia makes an entry in the top 10 CPOs with the deployment of its Izivia Express and Izivia Fast networks in 2024. Finally, Electra and e-totem can be noted for the fast growth of their networks in a very short amount of time. The higher pace of deployment on retail locations can be illustrated here with key partnership between retail players and the previously mentioned operators: Izivia and McDonald’s, Electra and AccorInvest, Bump and Electra with Groupe Casino, e-totem and Lapeyre, Powerdot with Match and Intermarché, just to name a few…
The evolution observed in paper 4 regarding retail actors installing charging infrastructure carries on.
Fast-charging CPOs: 7-month growth comparison
The graph below provides a comprehensive overview of CPO performance during the first half of 2024, covering data from January 1st to August 1st. Notably, three players achieved remarkable growth, each exceeding 100%. Among them, Izivia stands out with the most impressive growth, particularly considering its already substantial size.
Players in the retail sector are experiencing the most significant growth, driven by the rapid evolution of this market segment. Among them, Powerdot has emerged as a key leader, distinguished by its exceptional growth in the deployment of fast charging stations. Despite already operating a network of over 1,000 charging points, Powerdot has achieved the highest growth in absolute numbers because of the size of its network, solidifying its position as the fastest-growing charge point operator (CPO) in this space.
This is particularly noteworthy as it reflects both the increasing demand for accessible charging solutions in retail environments and Powerdot’s ability to scale its operations effectively. Retail locations are becoming key hubs for EV charging, offering charging services as an added value to their consumers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the French ultra-fast charging landscape continues to evolve rapidly. Fast charging on highway has a good coverage in the country and tends to grow slower than other locations, as the infrastructure requires anticipation of future growth to size the charging locations correctly. As the retail industry develops fast charging services for its customers, CPOs focusing on this segment tend to experience higher growth rates. However, recent reviews by French journalists who attempted long-distance travel with EVs reveal that significant improvements are still needed in the reliability of charging stations and the overall quality of the user experience. More experienced EV drivers turn towards preferred networks when they have experienced strong reliability.
