Soon there will be "super off-peak" hours for charging electric cars

The government intends to accelerate the deadlines for installing charging stations in condominiums, to a maximum of six months after their approval at the general meeting. The network manager Enedis must present an action plan to this effect by September 1, 2025.

Information on public charging stations (price, availability) will also be centralized by the end of 2025, so that motorists can compare them more easily.

Although it has cut purchase bonuses for electric cars, the government wants to show its support for this type of car, "an issue of industrial sovereignty" according to Economy Minister Éric Lombard.

The Minister of Economy and the Minister of Industry, Marc Ferracci, unveiled this plan on Friday afternoon in L'Haÿ-les-Roses (Val-de-Marne), charging cable in hand in front of the terminals of a hypermarket, one of the favorite places for the French to recharge their cars.

The aim is to "reassure" consumers "that as the number of electric vehicles increases, we are supporting the development of charging stations," the Ministry of Industry said.

"We're going to try to move towards smarter pricing, with contracts for electric cars that take into account the cost of consumption depending on the time of day," so that "the (charging) rates are even more competitive," said Marc Ferraci.

These include "super off-peak" hours at night and on weekends, and peak solar power production hours, between 11:00 a.m. and 17:00 p.m.

Currently, 65% of private electric vehicle users do not manage their charging at all, according to the ministry, and plug in their vehicle when they return home in the evening, during a "peak electricity" period.

The Energy Regulatory Commission, the sector's regulator, confirmed to AFP that a new system aimed at shifting more off-peak hours to the afternoon will begin to be rolled out in November for individuals and businesses (except those connected to high-voltage electricity, for which it will begin in January 2027).

The ministers also confirmed the objective of 400.000 terminals on public roads by 2030 (compared to 168.000 at the end of April), including around 50.000 rapid charging stations, and seven million charging stations (public and private), compared to nearly 2,5 million currently.