Energy
France Unveils Ambitious EV Charging Plan
Country will spend 1.5 billion euros to provide charging stations for up to 2 million electric and hybrid cars
03 Oct 2009
The French ecology minister, flanked by the CEOs of Renault and Peugeot Citroen, announced plans this week to build the infrastructure needed to support up to 2 million electric and hybrid cars by 2020. A million battery charging points are to be deployed by 2015, in parking lots, private homes, and roadside stations; from 2012 on, all new apartment buildings with parking lots will be required to include charging stations. Some of the 1.5 billion euros allocated to the plan also will go to support R&D on batteries and advanced cars.
The plan, coming hard on the heels of President Sarkozy's carbon tax, is expected to unleash in France a "battle of the electric cars" among the nation's major manufacturers.
