EDF sets sights on being European market leader in electric vehicle charging
France’s state-owned utility firm, EDF, has unveiled ambitions to become Europe’s largest provider of charging stations for electric vehicles by 2022, joining a growing volume of companies entering the electric car market in recent months.
EDF boss Jean-Bernard Levy said the company was aiming to operate 75,000 charging stations across Europe by 2022, forecasting that electric vehicles will comprise 30 per cent of all newly-sold cars by 2035.
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The traditionally nuclear-focused giant joins a growing number of tech and power utility firms that have already decided to dip their toes into the fast-growing electric market, which has seen more entrants from Germany and Scandinavia in recent years.
Bolstered by the French government’s aim of reducing the country’s carbon footprint, EDF will be hoping to compete with rivals such as Engie, a multinational company that specialises in electric generation and natural gas.
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This morning Levy told reporters that EDF wants “to become the uncontested leader in electric mobility in Europe by 2022”.
The news comes after EDF announced in March an €8bn (£7bn) investment plan to be Europe’s market leader in energy storage, which followed a €25bn spending push into solar late last year.