STORIES – July 2023

"We are very pleased about the opening of the IONITY high-power charging park at the Rousset service area. This is an important location for long-distance journeys in the south of France," says Olivier Granier, head of commercial facilities at VINCI Autoroutes. "As the number of electric vehicles increases, service stations also evolve. We are expanding our service range to improve travellers’ stops. All 181 service stations will be equipped with charging parks, offering 1,800 charging points, with 90 percent of them being fast-charging points."

By the end of July 2023, IONITY plans to have opened a total of 60 IONITY HPC stations across the VINCI Autoroutes network, with the south of France being a particularly significant region due to its tourism and many long-distance travellers. And it’s no surprise: With wildly diverse landscapes, great monuments, food and culture, the south of France has become one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe. This amplifies the need for carbon-neutral electric mobility as we set ourselves the goal to enable the French and every other tourist longing to discover the country to do so with a zero carbon impact.

The IONITY Rousset station illustrates this approach beautifully, providing access to both the Côte d'Azur and Provence. The site offers 16 high-power charging (HPC) points. And depending on the demand, another eight HPC chargers could be added.

“We’re very proud of our strong position in the French market and of making a major contribution to the development of the French recharging infrastructure," said Brieuc de Tonquédec, country manager for IONITY in France.  

Thanks to strong partners such as VINCI Autoroutes, the collaboration with local authorities, and, not least, our committed employees, IONITY currently operates more than 130 charging stations throughout France. And we are confident that by 2025, we will have crossed two important thresholds: 200 stations across France and 7,000 in Europe.