these new ultra-fast charging stations are the cheapest in France, but there is a but

The charging station operator IECharge sets up in France and becomes the cheapest in Europe with a price per kWh that defies all competition. Nonetheless, the power is a bit behind some of its rivals.

If the number of charging stations continues to increase in France, we are still far from the objective of 100,000 accessible in the territory promised for the end of 2021 by Emmanuel Macron. To tell the truth, our country is even a little behind, while it had 82,107 charging points as of December 31, 2022 according to the site of l’Avere-France. A number that is rising slowly, while new operators are gradually arriving with us.

A record price

Among them, we can then mention Ionity, of course, but also Fastned, Kallista Energy, Electra or Allego. Some large retailers are also getting involved, such as Carrefour, associated with Driveco or Casino, linked to Tesla and more recently Lidl. Until then, the distributor even offered the lowest prices, with a kWh displayed between 25 and 40 cents depending on the power.

But now the low-cost brand is being dethroned. Indeed, a brand new operator is slowly developing with us. This is’IECharge, a company part of the NW group founded in 2007 and particularly specialized in electricity storage. Still little known, the network is developing at high speed.

Congratulations to the Cheapest Fast Chargers of Europe?!

THIS is @IECharge – with a new personal record:

Four new stations this week offering
4x160kW at the incredible price of €0.30/kWh

Enjoy your French road trip!
⚡️⚡️⚡️@DSchoelens @dtoulouze @Moreau12Moreau @TeslaStars pic.twitter.com/Ti4pJFmczl

— Felix Hamer • electricfelix (@electricfelix) February 3, 2023

Indeed, if only 68 stations are currently accessible in France, the company plans to offer no less than 1,000 during the year 2023. A figure that will increase to 2,000 next year and 5,000 in 2026. Something to help convince some potential buyers of electric cars, still put off by autonomy. Currently, no less than 56 stations are under construction and 180 will soon be accessible.

But then, what distinguishes the company from its rivals, which are more and more numerous on the market? Well it is above all its price. Indeed, IECharge officially offers the cheapest fast charging in France, and even from Europe. In fact, it is only necessary to count 0.30 cents per kWhwhatever the power, up to 320 kW.

A small problem all the same

It is then clearly less than the 44 cents of Electra, for terminals of 300 kW and very clearly lower than the 69 cents requested by Ionity to take advantage of its sockets up to 350 kW. However, not everything is perfect either, quite the contrary. Indeed, each IECharge station is equipped with four charging points, offering a total power of 500 kW.

However, this is divided between all the terminals, which means that it will only be possible to take advantage of 125 kW maximum if they are all used at the same time. Thus, if the price is much more affordable than with the competition, the maximum power is lower in some cases.

So it’s a bit of a lottery when recharging. Nevertheless, this power concern can be encountered on all terminals, because it should not be forgotten that it varies according to many parameters. The number of connected cars of course, but also the temperature, among other things. But one of the advantages of the solution provided by IECharge is the ease of use of its terminals.

Indeed, theThe displayed price is unique for everyone, so no subscription is required.. It is then possible to pay via the IECcharge application as well as by bank card and via a recharge card provided by a manufacturer, for example. On the other hand, the operator’s site does not specify whether its terminals are compatible with the Plug & Charge functionality, which allows you to connect without having to identify yourself via a card. Ionity and Fastded offer this technology, as do some brands such as BMW, Mercedes, Tesla and Skoda.

In full development on French motorways, the operator of fast charging stations Fastned is developing its Autocharge functionality. This technology, which allows you to connect to a terminal without having to identify yourself, is becoming…
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