France surpasses 200,000 public charging points

On a map of France, the figure has just reached a new scale: 200,045 publicly accessible charging points were recorded as of July 31, 2026. The 200,000 threshold has been crossed. The points are installed at retail locations, parking facilities, on streets, at businesses and, to a lesser extent, along motorways.

Retail has become the leading setting for public charging. 47% of the points are installed there, compared with 30% in parking facilities and 13% on streets. Retailers have obligations, but also a very practical reason to host this equipment: charging stations can attract customers. France now has 297 points per 100,000 inhabitants, with Île-de-France leading at 33,830 points, ahead of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes at 24,511 and Nouvelle-Aquitaine at 21,524.

The number does not tell the whole story: charging speeds vary widely. One point in two operates on three-phase alternating current, with power ranging from 7.4 to 22 kW. 27% remain on single-phase alternating current at up to 7.4 kW, and are therefore intended for slower uses. Fast direct-current charging — the preferred mode for recovering a large amount of range during a journey — accounts for just 9% of points up to 150 kW and 13% above that threshold. Just over 5,000 points can deliver at least 350 kW.

The distribution of fast charging varies by region. Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has nearly 35% of its points using direct current, compared with less than 20% in Île-de-France, notably because it lies along routes connecting Paris, Lyon and the Benelux.

The next step will be more demanding. 14,544 points were added in the first half of 2026, compared with 19,880 over the same period in 2025. The government is targeting 400,000 charging points in France by 2030: deployment will therefore have to accelerate. For Clément Molizon, general delegate of Avere-France, this network now forms a “genuine national asset” that will support people’s journeys in France for several decades.