Electra to compete with Fastned on the latter’s home turf

The French provider of DC fast-charging infrastructure, Electra, is entering the Dutch market and will compete with Dutch charging network provider Fastned on its home turf.

The plan is to install 100 fast-charging stations and 600 charging points for EVs before 2030. Electra is already present in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, and Spain; the Netherlands is now the ninth market.

While Fast charging stations are usually located near highways, Elektra is targeting urban neighborhoods, especially areas near supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and public parking.

To finance the expansion, Electra recently raised some € 300 million in additional funds. Remarkably, Electra’s biggest shareholder has now become a Dutch pension fund, PGGM.

2,200 stations and 15,000 charging points in Europe

Electra expects 30 million EVs to be running on European roads in 2030. It wants to sustain this evolution by offering 2,200 fast-charging stations by that time, totaling some 15,000 charging points. Electra clearly has the ambition to become the market leader in Europe by 2030.

Electra tries to offer interesting charging rates and a lot of charging convenience to its customers. They can reserve a charging point until half an hour before arrival via the dedicated app. Payments can be executed via Google Pay, Apple Pay, a charge pass, or simply a bank card. The charging stations are open 24 hours daily, seven days a week.

Electra BeNeLux

Louis-Charles Mosseray has been working for Electra since 2022. He has been building up the company’s fast growth in Belgium and Luxembourg. During the last 18 months, he has made important agreements with the food chain Delhaize and Brussels-based taxi company TaxisVerts.

Mosseray will now also lead the Dutch expansion as CEO of the newly formed Electra BeNeLux. “The Netherlands is a strategically very important market for the European expansion of Electra,” he comments.

“The Dutch market is already very well developed regarding AC charging. A further transition into electrification activates a growing need for DC charging,” he adds. “That’s where Electra will step in to develop the market quicker and broader.”