The fastest charging station for electric cars in France opens in Normandy

It is the first charging station opened by Kallista Energy, which operates 36 wind farms in Europe. Owned by French funds Ardian and Dutch APG, Kallista plans to eventually open a network of 90 stations under the "Yaway" brand, powered mainly by wind.

The Vernon-Douains station, not powered by the wind, offers two ultra-fast charging stations, reaching up to 360 kW, a power much higher than even the best equipped vehicles, such as the Porsche Taycan or the Tesla, can accept. Model 3.

This terminal, which is still being tested, will allow the next generation of cars to recover up to 100 kilometers of autonomy in less than three minutes, according to its designer, the Swiss-Swedish group ABB.

Copies of this model made in Italy and called "Terra 360" are already operating in Germany with the oil company Shell and in Norway with the energy company Eviny.

The terminal shares its power between the cars that connect to it, up to four at the same time. Charging still costs 0,55 euros per minute but will soon be billed per kWh.

En route to Paris from the coast, an Audi SUV recharged there on Wednesday, going from 2 to 80% autonomy in 32 minutes, explained its owner Benoist Girard, 43, returning on the way back.

In a booming charging market, with the proliferation of electric cars on the roads, Kallista uses electricity produced by wind turbines for "the majority" of its terminals.

This first Kallista Energy charging station is not powered by a wind turbine, as it is too close to an air base. But there are "a lot of synergies" between these trades, and the investment in the terminals is much lighter, indicated the general manager of Kallista, Johann Tardy.

By linking the production and distribution of renewable energy, Kallista intends to eventually offer attractive charging rates, underlined Mr. Tardy.

The Seine Normandie agglomeration has made this land available on the edge of the motorway and a stone's throw from the future Hopium factory, which is betting on hydrogen cars.

Each charging point has also been financed to the tune of 18.000 euros by the Advenir public program, which has focused since 2020 on ultra-fast charging.