With a little advanced planning, it is possible to take a driving holiday to France in an electric car without having to worry about running out of juice.
The key is matching your itinerary to France’s charger network. The country has some 9,400 charging points today and expects to have 40,000 by 2020. A great place to start your route planning is Open Charge Map, a public registry of electric vehicle charging locations. Another helpful resource is ChargeMap.
You’ll want to check these maps regularly, because France’s charger network is growing fast, thanks in part to the recently announced Corri-Door project. Renault is a partner of this project that plans to install 200 new fast charging points across France by December 2015.
The aim of the Corri-Door project is to charge vehicles in the time it takes to have a motorway break and provide intelligent charging points that are universal and compatible with all commercially available EVs.
Another option is to team up with the train. With the SNCF Auto/Train service, your electric car can travel overnight by train from Paris to one one dozens of destinations around the country. You make your own way there and pick up your vehicle when you arrive. The trains leave from the Bercy Station in Paris, which is equipped with a charging station for EVs.
For more information (in French) or download the guide (in English).