Good news for electric car drivers: the number of terminals should increase from “4,500” to 22,000 by 2035

Quintuple, by 2035, the number of charging stations for electric cars on the motorway and national road network. This is the ambition of the “national road network electrification strategy”announced Friday April 17, 2026 by the Ministry of Transport in a press release.

The Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot spoke on Friday April 17, 2026 on South Radio “the brake” to the purchase of electric cars due to the lack of charging stations for traveling long distances. “With this plan on refills, we must be able to fill this deficit”he explained.

17,500 new terminals

“Today we are at 4,500”and it will be about “rise to more than 20,000, to 22,000 to be precise”, in 2035 for light vehicles. Added to this is the objective of 8,000 charging stations for heavy goods vehicles, a segment in which today the transition to electric is only just beginning, with 2% of the new vehicle market in France.

These major axes, i.e. 20,000 km of motorways and national roads, represent 2% of the road network, but a third of the kilometers traveled. The terminals must be installed on “nearly 900 rest and service areas” for light vehicles. They have a power of 150 kW, which means recharging in 20 to 25 minutes.

Reduce dependence on imported oil

For heavy goods vehicles, where the government targets “nearly 560 areas“, the busiest, the power varies between 100 kW (suitable for night-time charging), 400 kW (45 minutes, the time of a break for a driver) and more than 800 kW.

“We need availability, so that the wait is not too long, with recharges that are rapid recharges”underlined Philippe Tabarot on South Radio.

The objective is twofold: to reduce CO2 emissions from road transport, and to make households and businesses less dependent on fuels made from imported oil. The cost of this plan, discussed with electricity players Enedis and EDF, was not immediately specified.