France’s €3B EV Fix: Charging Chaos Gets a Reboot

An alliance led by TotalEnergies and Electra aims to end the country’s EV-charging chaos by 2028

27 Feb 2025

France’s electric vehicle revolution has long been slowed not by a lack of interest, but by a lack of plugs. That may now be changing. Thirteen private firms, including Electra, Allego, and TotalEnergies, have launched Charge France, a €3bn alliance to fix the country’s fragmented charging network by 2028.

The initiative responds to a deep structural flaw. Though EV sales are rising, the public charging network has lagged, hampered by planning delays, inconsistent standards, and a baffling array of apps and interfaces. Over 100 operators compete for attention, leaving drivers confused and infrastructure underused.

France wants to replace chaos with coordination. Its aim is to create a standardised system with a single interface and unified experience. “We’re not waiting for legislation,” said a spokesperson. “We’re building the future of electric mobility now.” About €1bn has already been invested.

The shift from competition to cooperation marks a change of tone in a notoriously balkanised sector. Members of the alliance plan to share technical standards, synchronize deployment strategies, and pool data. The hope is that the combined scale and speed will unblock bottlenecks, from urban red tape to rural coverage gaps.

Not all hurdles will vanish. Operators must still jostle for prime locations, and the ageing grid will need reinforcement. Yet analysts say a private sector push may succeed where public schemes have stalled.

If it works, the model could serve as a prototype for Europe, where similar problems persist. France’s 2035 deadline for ending sales of new fossil fuel cars is fast approaching. Without fast, reliable charging, the goal risks stalling.

What France needs now is less spark, more voltage. This alliance, unusually unified and well funded, could be the one to deliver it.