France: quarterly EV charging points by type 2019-2023
Out of the 1.8 million electric vehicle charging points available in France as of the fourth quarter of 2023, over one million were private chargers, including home and workplace charging. In contrast, public charging represented the smallest share of the charging network, growing from some 31,100 points in the first quarter of 2019 to over 118,000 charging points in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The future of EV in France
There is a very clear and significant increase in the number of EV charging stations in France within the recorded period. This is further displayed when investigating the growth of the number of new battery-electric EV passenger cars in France, where between 2010 and 2023, new battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations went from 980 to about 330,000. Further, as of 2023, about 17 percent of all passenger car sales in France were battery EVs. To make the transition smoother from petrol and diesel-powered cars to BEVs, many manufacturers have focused on marketing and producing hybrid EVs, which operate partly on battery power and partly on some form of combustible fuel. This is shown in the fact that in 2023 a further 24 percent of passenger car sales in France were non-rechargeable hybrid EVs. A more battery-dependent form of hybrid EVs is the plug-in hybrid EV, which is rechargeable. Plug-in hybrid EVs constituted 9.2 percent of all passenger car sales in France. This number has also seen an upward trend from 2012 to 2023, where there were respectively 666 and 163,000 new plug-in hybrid EV passenger car registrations.
What does this entail for the environment?
In the last few years, there has been a growing awareness in the public sphere of the impact of our technology on the environment. As it turns out, and as of 2022, the transportation sector accounted for about 21 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Thus, both governments and corporations have been motivated to search for alternatives, specifically in the form of battery and hybrid EVs. To further motivate the public to switch over to these more environmentally-friendly alternatives, many governments, including France, offer many EV purchase incentives. As of 2023, France provided nearly 7,800 euros in total financial incentives in the form of purchase tax reductions and purchase grants. This was the second-highest amount of incentives among selected European countries.
