Electric cars: massive subsidies for charging stations in building parking lots

This is a key factor in the adoption of electric cars, which are particularly economical when they can be charged at home overnight using slow charging, at a cost of around €3 for 100 km of range according to EDF. Fast charging on the motorway, however, is three times more expensive, bringing it closer to the price of petrol or diesel.

The grant for the installation of electrical infrastructure prior to the installation of charging stations will see its ceiling increase from 8.000 to 12.500 euros per building for any parking lot up to 100 spaces, and to 125 euros per additional space (compared to 75 previously).

Outdoor parking lots will be subject to an additional charge, linked to the additional costs of cabling, which will increase from 5.000 to 8.000 euros per building up to 100 spaces and 80 euros per additional space.

"We had very low demand for outdoor parking lots, which are more difficult to equip," explained Ludovic Coutant.

In practical terms, Advenir helps to install cables, electrical cabinets and the connection to the network.

Owners of private parking spaces in these car parks can also receive a subsidy of up to €1.000 (compared to €600 previously) to install a charging station. However, the program does not provide assistance for charging stations in private homes.

Advenir, which is financed by energy operators under energy savings certificates, has a budget of 520 million euros to finance 250.000 charging points by 2027.

Since 2016, the program has funded nearly 47.000 charging points and equipped 6.500 buildings.

But this is only a fraction of the 160.000 buildings with parking lots of more than 15 spaces that can be equipped, stressed Pierre Eymard, general manager of Logivolt, a subsidiary of the Caisse des dépôts which advances the funds to the co-ownerships to gain their support.

Logivolt receives Advenir grants and advances the costs of the work to the co-ownership associations, averaging €25.000 per building. Only the owners who install a charging station pay a share, which will decrease to an average of €1.080, explained Pierre Eymard.

"With our financing solution, co-ownerships have nothing to pay. Without it, general meetings often vote against it," comments the head of Logivolt, who hopes to convince 2.500 more buildings this year, representing nearly a third of the new connections expected.

The increase in premiums is also good news for the many operators who equip buildings and businesses with charging infrastructure, leading the way with WAAT, Zeplug and Ampérus.

This new boost to charging stations will help expand the French network, which according to the electricity network manager Enedis already had 185.000 charging points open to the public at the end of 2025 (municipal terminals, service stations, public car parks, etc.), 1,1 million in company car parks and 1,6 million at private residences.

Regarding public charging stations, the ratio is 223 to 382 charging points per 100.000 inhabitants, depending on the region. Projections for 2030 anticipate a doubling of publicly accessible charging stations.

Electric car sales have accelerated sharply over the last 6 months: in February they increased by 27% year-on-year in France, reaching 27% of registrations.