Electric truck charging: how far has infrastructure deployment progressed in France?
Charging infrastructure for electric trucks: how advanced is deployment in France?
Hervé Rébillon: Charging infrastructure has never played such an important role in the energy transition of road transport. Where does infrastructure deployment for electric trucks stand in France today?
Brune Lethier (AVERE France): We can speak of an emerging network. In heavy-duty mobility, we tend to talk about corridors, as infrastructure is mainly being developed along the major routes used by carriers. These corridors are gradually taking shape, particularly in eastern France. The Lille–Paris–Lyon–Marseille corridor is already relatively well equipped. Western France remains less densely covered, but many projects are underway.
This momentum is largely driven by European requirements, particularly the AFIR regulation, as well as European funding aimed at accelerating infrastructure deployment.
Hervé Rébillon: Do we have figures on the current network?
Brune Lethier (AVERE France): In January 2026, France had 56 truck charging stations, including 51 located on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). This represents between 100 and 120 charging points. While the figure may seem modest, it should be viewed in light of the still limited number of vehicles currently in operation.
On a similar topic: SOLUTRANS OnAIR #30 Electric mobility: what barriers and drivers for the commercial vehicle and light commercial vehicle sector? (with Clément Molizon – AVERE-France)
Hervé Rébillon: Deploying a truck charging network is more complex than for passenger vehicles. Are all the conditions in place to accelerate its development?
Brune Lethier (AVERE France): Not yet entirely. We are still facing the classic “chicken-and-egg” issue: there are still too few vehicles on the road to ensure immediate profitability for infrastructure. Nevertheless, many stakeholders have already invested and are actively deploying networks, particularly thanks to AFIF European funding.
The major difference compared with the passenger vehicle market is the current lack of public support dedicated to publicly accessible truck charging stations. This naturally slows down market ramp-up.
Hervé Rébillon: Will French electricity production be able to keep up if the electric truck fleet grows significantly?
Brune Lethier (AVERE France): Yes. France currently produces more electricity than it consumes and exports part of that output. According to RTE, the electrification of mobility would represent around 10% of national electricity production, which remains entirely manageable. Both grid operators and energy producers are committed to supporting this transition and have the capacity to do so.
Scania: supporting carriers in fleet electrification
Hervé Rébillon: Manufacturers no longer provide only electric vehicles; they also offer complete charging solutions. How do you support your customers at Scania?
Vincent Passot (Scania France): Today, our customers no longer buy just a truck; they buy a transport solution. An electric vehicle only makes sense if it can be charged efficiently. Our role is therefore to support carriers throughout the entire project.
We always start by analysing their operations: routes, services that can be electrified and actual range requirements. Not all activities can yet be electrified. The goal is then to propose the most suitable vehicle, with the battery capacity that is necessary and sufficient. This helps reduce costs while maximising payload.
Once the vehicle has been defined, we work on the charging strategy. We estimate that around 30% of charging can be carried out on the road, while 70% will take place mainly at depots or customer sites.
Hervé Rébillon: Scania has also developed a dedicated charging business. What about public charging?
Vincent Passot (Scania France): Indeed. We created Erinion, a subsidiary specialising in charging infrastructure. It supports customers in deploying charging stations at their sites or those of their partners.
We have also developed monitoring tools that allow vehicles and charging infrastructure to be supervised simultaneously. Customers can monitor operations, detect incidents and optimise energy costs by charging at the most appropriate times.
On the public charging side, our Scania Charging Access card provides access to numerous European networks through negotiated agreements with several operators. This enables carriers to benefit from more competitive charging rates.
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What solutions are available to size charging infrastructure?
Hervé Rébillon: Specialist operators also play a key role in developing the ecosystem. What does Bump offer carriers?
François Oudot (Bump): Since our creation five years ago, we have supported companies in electrifying their fleets. We handle charging station installation, operation and maintenance, charging cards, and all the digital tools required to manage day-to-day operations.
Our first step is always to understand the customer’s business. We analyse routes to automatically determine power requirements, the number of charging stations needed and the infrastructure to be planned. We can build scenarios over one, three, five or ten years, enabling carriers to anticipate future growth.
Hervé Rébillon: So every project is unique? What are the average implementation timelines?
François Oudot (Bump): Absolutely. Every fleet, depot and activity has its own constraints. The challenge is to size the infrastructure correctly from the outset so that it can evolve alongside future fleet growth.
As for timelines, they depend heavily on the work required on the electricity grid. In simple cases, a few months may be enough. When grid upgrades are required, timelines can exceed one year. On average, projects take between six and nine months.
Hervé Rébillon: What are the main barriers to electrification today?
François Oudot (Bump): The main challenge remains business transformation. Companies move from a world based on litres of fuel to one driven by kilowatt-hours. This requires new skills, new tools and new ways of working.
Economic conditions are improving significantly. Thanks to current support mechanisms, total cost of ownership levels are now becoming comparable. The key is therefore to anticipate infrastructure projects early enough.
Hervé Rébillon: You recently developed a partnership focused on solar self-consumption. Can you tell us more?
François Oudot (Bump): We are seeing a very interesting convergence between requirements to install photovoltaic systems on logistics buildings and fleet electrification. Warehouses often have large rooftops and extensive parking areas, making them ideal for solar energy production.
The objective is to use this energy locally in order to reduce grid connection costs and secure long-term energy expenses. The main challenge is that solar production occurs during the day, while trucks are generally charged at night.
Energy storage and buffer batteries: key levers to accelerate charging
Hervé Rébillon: Some companies are also offering innovative solutions to address power constraints. Can you explain PowerMust’s approach?
Christophe Tharrault (PowerMust): We develop tailor-made charging solutions for truck fleets. Our goal is to provide scalable, cost-effective and rapidly deployable installations while limiting civil engineering work.
We distribute various charging technologies as well as energy storage systems based on CATL batteries. This enables us to adapt solutions precisely to customer needs and future fleet growth.
Hervé Rébillon: What role do storage batteries play in this model? Why did you choose containerised installations?
Christophe Tharrault (PowerMust): They help overcome certain limitations of the electricity grid. Batteries are charged gradually according to the power available on site and then release energy quickly when trucks need to be charged.
They also make it possible to maximise the value of electricity generated by photovoltaic installations. Energy produced during the day can be stored and then used at night when vehicles return to the depot.
The containerised approach reduces construction work, facilitates future expansion and, in some cases, even allows the installation to be moved if the operator changes site. It is a solution particularly suited to companies seeking flexibility.
Hervé Rébillon: How do you support carriers with financing?
Christophe Tharrault (PowerMust): We have developed financial partnerships to support investments. We also work with specialists in installation, maintenance and operation in order to provide a complete solution.
See also: [CONFERENCE] Infrastructure: charging, the essential challenge for electric mobility
A truck charging ecosystem taking shape
Hervé Rébillon: The market appears highly dynamic today, with many players involved. Is there a risk that carriers may lose their way?
François Oudot (Bump): As with any emerging market, we are currently seeing a wide variety of stakeholders. This phase is perfectly normal. Over time, the market will become more structured and consolidated.
It is true that this diversity of players can sometimes make the market harder for carriers to understand. However, it also demonstrates that the ecosystem is developing rapidly and gaining maturity.
Today, the strongest players are beginning to reach critical scale. At Bump, for example, we already operate tens of thousands of charging points for businesses in France, helping to structure the sector sustainably.
Christophe Tharrault (PowerMust): Competition is a good thing, provided that competitors are strong. It is what allows the entire market to move forward, improve and challenge itself. In an emerging sector such as electric truck charging, this dynamic is essential. It pushes every stakeholder to enhance its solutions, better serve carriers and contribute to the structuring of the industry. In that respect, long live competition.
While charging infrastructure for trucks is still being rolled out, all participants agree on one point: the momentum is well underway. Manufacturers, operators, energy providers and carriers are now working together to build the ecosystem that will support the electrification of road transport in the years ahead.
The development of charging networks, optimisation of depot infrastructure, energy storage and the integration of renewable energy sources are all levers that will shape the heavy-duty mobility of tomorrow. These topics will be at the heart of discussions during SOLUTRANS 2027 and the Industry Meetings, key forums for dialogue and collective action supporting the transformation of road freight transport.