Lidl France has announced the rollout of electric vehicle charging stations, with the first opening at its supermarket in Villefranche-sur-Saône, north of Lyon.
The retailer has teamed up with ABB E-mobility and DBT on the e-station, which comprises 13 parking spaces offering fast and ultra-fast chargers.
It also features what Lidl claims as the 'most powerful' charging model currently installed in France, with a total power of 360 kW.
This charger allows electric vehicles to recharge for approximately 350 kilometres in 15 minutes for certain electric vehicles.
The retailer has also opened E-stations at the Lidl supermarket in Landivisiau and Les Pennes-Mirabeau, near Marseille, and one in Tourcoing.
It plans to open two other E-stations in 2023.
Network Expansion
Vanessa Bisconti-Cateau, director of ABB E-mobility, said, "At ABB E-mobility, our mission is to advance electric mobility. Being present at the point of consumption of households is an essential approach to facilitate the use of electric vehicles in everyday life. ABB, with the expertise of its divisions, has proposed a turnkey solution to Lidl, from electrical distribution to charging stations, for this project."
The four Lidl E-stations will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and allow motorists to charge their cars on the fast and ultra-fast charging stations.
Equipped with photovoltaic panels on its rooftops, the E-stations offer four accelerated charging points, four fast charge points and five ultra-fast charging points.
Other Highlights
Payment methods include RFID cards and QR codes. Motorists with the Freshmile or HTB Pass will be able to use RFID cards to pay the price indicated on the terminal at no extra cost.
For other RFID users, fees may vary according to their operator and will be added to the price indicated at the kiosk, the retailer noted.
Customers using the QR code will pay the price indicated on the terminal, without additional fees. However, a fixed sum of €0.5 will be added if the charge is less than 1 KWh.
Alexandre Borgoltz, managing director of the DBT Group, added, "We are committed to the sustainable aspect of our kiosks by purchasing 95% of the components in France and by selecting half of our suppliers within a 50km radius."
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
