Electric car charging: Gers is refining its offering with nearly sixty terminals

The fleet of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles has continued to grow in France over the last decade. In Gers, many customers have been converted. But what about their charging stations?

“In the department, we will soon have around sixty terminals, because we continue to develop the park,” says Jean-Michel Walcker, the director of Territoire d’énergie 32 (Gers Departmental Energy Union). Moreover, the installation of a very fast public charge, at 150 kW, is planned for the month of October in the area of ​​the Auch racecourse.

“This will be the first very fast charging station in the capital of Gers,” says Jean-Michel Walcker, specifying that this new terminal will replace the one that charged at 40 kW in the same area, which became obsolete following significant electrical damage.

Also read:
Gers: electric cars face a lack of terminals in the department

“Here in Auch, I’ve never had any problems. Apart from a few connection issues sometimes, the terminal at Ciné 32 works really well,” assures a woman from Auch who came to charge her car before a movie. In the capital of Gers, the electric fleet remains well supplied. “On Place Denfert-Rochereau (at the foot of the allées d’Etigny, Editor’s note), we’re going to double the service by the beginning of 2025,” explains the director of SDE 32. A 22 kW charge is already available.

“The shopping areas are perfectly suited to the charging service”

Beyond public initiatives, the department has seen its electric charging offer multiplied on the private sector (as in the Carrefour or Lidl car parks recently in Auch). “What you have to understand is that all these large companies that have large car parks will eventually have obligations to equip them”, explains Jean-Michel Walcker. On large retail sites, the electric charging offer has indeed flourished. In Auch, in some car parks, 120 kW terminals are offered.

Also read:
Electric cars: France is still waiting for “its” connected stars

“When you have a 50 kW charging system, which represents the average battery of an electric vehicle, you cover, a priori, your needs for your commuting mobility for the whole week in one hour, the time it takes to do your shopping. The shopping areas are perfectly suited to the charging service.”

Fleurance, Eauze, Condom: many Gers municipalities offer fast-charging terminals in supermarket and hypermarket car parks. But their use remains “very uneven across the department”. “We have a system that works well in built-up areas. That’s where people come to work, so that’s where there are charging needs. On the other hand, the terminals in small villages have much lower operating costs.”

A lower usage that could be explained by the use of home charging solutions in more remote villages. “I’m thinking, for example, of those in Aignan or Montesquiou,” says Jean-Michel Walcker. “There, they are far from having significant activity.”