Regulations and new realities of public charging of electric vehicles

The Competition Authority recently published a detailed report on the competition sector. electric vehicle charging infrastructure (IRVE). The purpose of this document is to promote fair competition in this growing market, to the greatest possible benefit of consumers.

Competition for invitations to submit offers

ABOUT invitations to submit offers (OA) on motorways and on the unlicensed national network, the Competition Authority recommends several measures:

• Separate IRVE AOs from fuel and catering AOs. This separation showed a significant increase in the number of applications, from 2.3 to 7.7 on average.
• In the opinion of toll operators, favor low prices for consumers rather than high rents for highway concession companies.
• Systematically allocate service areas through tenders rather than over-the-counter contracts to ensure price moderation.

These recommendations are consistent with positions regularly defended by Electra and shared by the Authority.

Competitive advantages and alertness

The Office emphasizes the importance of particular vigilance in the face of certain competitive advantages:

• Charging operators can benefit from privileged access to electricity due to their status as energy companies.
• Vehicle manufacturers can grant preferential charging conditions to their own vehicles or make their users dependent on their network.

Adam’s law proposal and ultra-fast charging

As part of the debates on the Adam’s Law Proposal, aimed at accelerating the conversion to electric vehicles, a lack of ultra-fast charging stations (> 100 kW) emerged in large cities, especially Paris. In 2020, there were only six charging stations on the list, with Tesla ahead.

However, since then the situation has improved significantly – in the metropolis of Greater Paris alone, there are over 180 ultra-fast charging points, including 45 operated by Electra.

Taxes: a brake on growth?

Another major challenge for fast charging operators is the significant costs Tariff for using the public power grid (TURPE). This tax, which is a French version of the electron fee concept, consists of three elements:

• Energy component (in €/MWh).
• Power component (in €/MW).
• Fixed component (in €).

For fast charging operators, the energy element significantly increases the total TURPE cost, reaching up to EUR 120/MWh, or approximately 24% of the final bill for the consumer. This calls into question the measures implemented to facilitate the transition to electric mobility in France.

New fundraising and futuristic prospects

To meet growing demand and accelerate the development of charging infrastructure, Electra recently raised €304 million. These funds will enable the massive expansion of the station network in Europe and further investments in ultra-fast charging technologies.

Application

In summary, the Competition Authority and operators such as Electra are seeking to harmonize the rapid growth of IRVE with stringent regulations designed to guarantee competition and benefits for consumers. The transition to greener mobility appears to be well underway, but remains dependent on regulations and future technological innovations.