It’s a fact, the deployment of charging stations is causing dissatisfaction. The Federal Consumer Union-Que Choisir published an article criticizing “network deployment that needs to be accelerated and price slippage that needs to be stopped”.
The UFC has published the results of a study on “ deployment of the charging station network and the opacity of the pricing system.” This market is growing, with the number of charging stations having quadrupled in one year in Francebut two factors prevent “confident use of electric vehicles”.
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First of all, the uneven location of the terminals makes drivers based in the “white zones” of public charging fear running out of fuel, these regions where there are few terminals. Furthermore, the proliferation of operators with incomprehensible pricing practices in “the absence of rules ensuring consumers the possibility of comparing prices gives free rein to all price aberrations. »
The deployment of charging stations is inconsistent and unfair according to the UFC
In the preface to this document against charging station operators, the consumer association therefore emphasizes thata more consistent deployment and fair and transparent pricing are essential. According to the association, unless there is a radical change in deployment policy, the delay accumulated so far will prevent reaching “the objective of 400,000 charging points available in 2030”. This is very problematic, because the authorities are already seeing an increase in fights at charging stations during peak times. Conversely, in the absence of a real “overall strategy for establishing itself in the territory”, white areas can be expected to continue to exist.
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Consequently, the UFC proposes, among other measures:
- impose a mandatory framework for deploying terminals of recharge the obligatory, harmonized and accessible display of recharge prices
- L’access to payment by credit card on all terminals accessible to the public so as not to force consumers to go through a charging operator
- the opening of data on all prices charged on all charging stations in the area