TotalEnergies installs fast-chargers along French highways

The French oil and gas giant Total, now rebranded as TotalEnergies, announced an investment of €200 million to equip its highway gas stations with DC fast-charging points. At the same time, the company fully profits from the high oil and gas prices.

The fast-charger plan includes more than 150 highway service stations in France to become EV-ready by the end of 2022. It plans the installation of 50 kW and 175 kW charging stations at 60 of the 150 locations by the end of this year.

Following the first phase of the project, which will cover the 60 locations in question by the turn of the year, the remaining 110 service stations will be equipped with charging points by the end of 2022 – but then exclusively with 175 kW chargers. The number of charging points Total plans to install per site is not clear yet.

Every 150 km

Further expansion throughout 2023 will see TotalEnergies equip a total of 200 service stations with EV charge points. They will deliver 175 to 300 kW on major roads and 100 additional high-power charging hubs in urban areas. TotalEnergies said this was reaffirming its ambition to offer its customers a fast-charging station every 150 kilometers.

“Thanks to the revenue generated from our oil and gas businesses, we can massively invest in electric vehicles’ charging infrastructures and accelerate our transformation,” underlines Alexis Vovk, President Marketing & Services at TotalEnergies.

Vovk also pointed out the new plan would contribute to the French authorities’ 100 000 Charge Points Plan, which French President Emmanuel Macron had laid out in May 2020. Macron recently confirmed a commitment to renewing the mobility sector when he budgeted four billion euros out of a 30-billion-euro package for transport.

Europe first

Total’s involvement in the e-mobility sector recently expanded to China but is primarily focused on Europe. There, the expansion is mainly through take-overs. In June, Total won the concession from the city of Amsterdam to expand its existing public charging network. Under the contract there, Total will add 1 100 new charging stations or 2 200 new charging points to the network.

TotalEnergies made similar deals in Paris and London. By 2025, the company aims to operate more than 150 000 charging points for electric cars. Total focuses on fast-charging points at gas stations and the B2B business with charging points in company car parks in Germany. In Antwerp (Belgium), the company plans to install 3 000 charging points.

Profits booming

For the third quarter of 2021, TotalEnergies has realized a net profit of €4,6 billion, compared to €202 million last year, 23 times more. Even in comparison with Q3 of 2019 (pre-Covid-19), the profit was still 66% higher.

This surge in revenues is, of course, due to the soaring energy prices. Especially the demand for LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) is rocketing, and that’s one of the sectors Total Energies is very active in. “The low level of stock and high demand will probably keep the gas prices high until half of next year,” TotalEnergies predicts.