We are publishing this article as part of our summer contest. Reloading is a theme that federates all ambitions, we have chosen to enlighten you on the main players. The publication of this article dedicated to Power Dot follows the publication of articles dedicated to Driveco, Allego and Stations-e.
An operator specializing in fast and ultra-fast charging stations, PowerDot, created in 2018 by Luis Pinto and Thomas Rousselle in Portugal, quickly established itself in France, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg, and in Poland.
Power Dot is currently deploying more than 450 fast charging sites (2,500 charging points), in the car parks of commercial brands (Cora, Mr Bricolage, Leclerc, KFC, etc.). The startup raised this year €150 million from the Antin Infrastructure Partners investment fund to accelerate its growth. Massive goals for 2025: Over 7,000 charging points!
Matthieu Dischamps, Managing Director France & BeLux (photo) explains the group’s pricing strategy : “€0.43/kWh for terminals (350 kWh) limited to 2 hours. Then €0.50/kWh to avoid sucker cars”. Among the services, loyalty programs with discount coupons on charging implemented by the brands, deployment in all regions, etc. According to the Avere barometer, just over 60,000 charging points have been deployed in France out of the 100,000 planned for the end of 2021.
Prevent the territorial divide
Of this total, more than 20% of them have been settled in the Paris region, highlighting a heterogeneous deployment hence Power Dot’s strategy: Prevent territorial and social fracture by equipping all regions of France! Abandoned rural Franceafter suffering the dead zones of mobile telephony and high-speed internet, now knows those of electric charging according to Power Dot.
Short-term profitability
For charging operators, short-term profitability would be the only guaranteed compass. There have never been so many announcements for the installation of fast charging stations, each more spectacular than the next, by the hundreds in such a large Parisian car park or by dozens along a highway.
Is this really where the effort should be? The profitability of a network of terminalswhose investment is all the heavier as the charging power is high, meets the requirements of use rateease of maintenance and repair, not very compatible with dispersed sites.
The social responsibility of charging operators
But without visible charging points, peri-urban and rural regions will remain excluded from the transition to electric mobility. Unequal access to fast terminals therefore constitutes a certain risk and additional social and territorial divide. For Power Dot, charging station operators can avoid this umpteenth risk of fracture.
As long as you don’t forget the areas with infrastructure deficit and by getting closer to users and their daily places of passage: places of activity and consumption in particular (supermarkets, restaurants, shopping and leisure centres), guaranteeing an optimal quality of service for recharging while shopping, going to the cinema or eating out.
Only a long-term profitability objective will contribute to democratize the electric car in all territories by 2035.