Developing Reliable Infrastructure for Vehicle Electrification

ongoing

The European Green Deal calls for a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in transport, the aim being for the EU to become a climate neutral economy by 2050, while also working towards a zero-pollution ambition. The transport sector is still vastly reliant on fossil fuels. Boosting the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) is a priority objective in the quest to make road transport more sustainable. The actual lack of infrastructure for EV is an important obstacle to the development of the subsequent market. The main objective of the Project is therefore to implement a reliable network of publicly accessible recharging pools for heavy-duty electric vehicles (HDV) to allow electric charging along the TEN-T road networks in France. The objective of the DRIVE-FR project will be achieved with the deployment of 25 charging pools (sites), all equipped with 4 recharging points of a minimum power output of at least 1 MW each. Each recharging point of 1 MW may be equipped with an additional CCS connector of at least 350 kW power output, in open access 24/7 available for users. All recharging pools will be deployed in France, on the TEN-T road network or within 3 km driving distance from the nearest exit of a TEN-T road, including on safe and secure parkings, and/or in TEN-T urban nodes. The charging infrastructure may be covered by a canopy, which could serve as a solar roof for producing sustainable energy on locations and protects the chargers and trucks from sun and heavy rainfall. The DRIVE-FR project is therefore contributing to the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in France, to minimise dependence on oil and to mitigate the environmental impact of transport.