- CHAdeMO connector remains obligatory for the deployment of high-power charging stations that benefits from the public funding scheme
- CHAdeMO is eligible for subsidies for the installation of chargers for various use cases, including company and public car parkings
- CHAdeMO remains required as part of the tender RFQs for charging stations along the key motorway rest areas
It is with some dismay that we have learnt of the termination of tri-standard obligation in France, which came into force in May upon the revision of the IRVE decree (n° 2017-26). While some speculative media reporting has aroused negative sentiments amongst the CHAdeMO owners, the French government reassured us that CHAdeMO obligation is maintained in the public funding scheme along with CHAdeMO charger eligibility for various financing programmes including private domain chargers.
According to Mr Claude Renard of the French Ministry of Ecological Transition with whom we virtually met on 5 July, the end of multi-standard obligation was not intended to discriminate against CHAdeMO but was linked to the French government’s strategic decision to accelerate the installation of 100,000 charging points by the end of this year, two years ahead of the initial schedule.
With only 33 000 charge points in place as of May according to AVERE France, France is determined to enhance its action to achieve this ambitious target in time. Mr Renard explained: “Our intention is to maintain the multi-standard charging stations not by mandating but through financial schemes. France is not against CHAdeMO at all and I regret if there has been a miss-interpretation amongst the market players and EV users. We have advanced our timetable to be consistent with our energy and climate strategy’s increased level of ambition as decided by President Macron.”
Installation of the fist CHAdeMO charge point in Paris in 2013
Furthermore, having been the only EU country which had set the multi-standard obligation, France was eager to align with the other EU countries. “Multi-standard obligation is no longer needed given the fact that multi-standard chargers have today become the de facto standard in Europe,” Mr Renard said.
So what is going to change in concrete terms for CHAdeMO stakeholders? Not so much, at first glance.
ADVENIR Programme
CHAdeMO remains eligible for the Advenir financing programme which was created in 2016 to encourage the installation of private and public charge points. In case of high-power charging stations primarily in the metropolitan and high-traffic areas, the deployment of a CHAdeMO connector is obligatory to receive the subsidy (EUR 100 000+). CHAdeMO is also minimum required for charge points deployed on public roads. In terms of private charge point, CHAdeMO is eligible for various subsidies, these include charge points in private company parking lots for their fleet or employees, for private destination chargers for heavy-duty vehicles, as well as in public car parks.
For more information about the “Stations et hubs de recharge haute puissance (stations and hubs for high power charging)” premium, visit the ADVENIR programme website: https://advenir.mobi/stations-hubs-recharge/. For other charge locations and use cases, you can find more information here: http://advenir.mobi/cahier-des-charges/ (both in French only)
Tender for motorway concessions
Multi-standard obligation remains valid for the tender RFQs for charging stations along the national network and motorway concessions. Mr Renard argues that chargers with multi-standard options are indispensable to respond to different user needs and to deliver high-quality services. This government position aligns with the comment made by Mr Louis Du Pasquier, Vinci Autoroute, in the interview published on 21 May on the Automobile Propre site. Mr De Pasquier states that CHAdeMO would not be removed from their tender specifications.
We wish to express our appreciation and endorsement to the French government which maintains CHAdeMO, on behalf of all the CHAdeMO users and members. The Association is convinced that non-discriminatory access to the public charging infrastructure is extremely important for gaining the trust from consumers, which leads to the wider adoption of EVs across Europe.
Background information
CHAdeMO Association, in cooperation with our French stakeholders, sent a common position letter on 16 June to the government, in which we pointed out the importance of CHAdeMO in France from the viewpoints of users, charger manufacturers and automakers. The meeting with Mr Renard, coordinator of the charging infrastructure deployment, was realised as a follow up to this letter. We wish to thank DBT, PSA/Stellantis, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Europe and the French EV user associations, who helped us prepare the letter and expressed their strong commitment to the CHAdeMO technology.
