Voltix, a subsidiary of Vinci Concessions, has opened in Vierzon, in the Cher department, the first location of its French charging network for heavy electric trucks. According to the company, with up to 1.5 MW of charging power per charging point, it is currently the highest-powered truck charging station in France.
Initially, there are four charging points available, with plans to expand this to eight in the long term. Each charging point is equipped with CCS and MCS connectors. According to Voltix, heavy electric trucks can recharge enough energy there in about 30 to 45 minutes to continue their journey, in line with mandatory breaks every 4.5 hours of driving.
The site is strategically located in a key transportation hub. Vierzon is located at the intersection of the A20 motorway between Paris and Toulouse and the A71 towards Clermont-Ferrand. In addition, the nearby A85 offers connections to Tours and the Atlantic coast.
Voltix plans 50 sites by 2028
Vierzon is the first site of a broader expansion program. In September, Vinci Concessions, Épopée Gestion and ADEME Investissement announced plans to invest almost €90 million in a fast charging network for electric trucks. In the first phase, around twenty locations are planned, mainly in France. Voltix subsequently aims to expand into Germany and Spain, with a goal of 50 sites by 2028.
At the inauguration in Vierzon, Renault Trucks, Volvo Trucks, Daimler Truck, Scania and MAN showed the current heavy-duty electric trucks with MCS capability. Voltix notes that registrations of heavy electric trucks in France have multiplied since 2021.
In Germany, Voltix is already involved in the construction of public charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles. The company was awarded, together with Eliso, as a tendering consortium, the contract for 25 sites of the rapid charging network for trucks initiated by the State in unmanaged rest areas on motorways (link in German).
The Vierzon site is also part of the DRIVE-FR project and is co-financed through the European CEF-AFIF funding line, which supports the development of charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Voltix positions the station within the decarbonization of French road freight transport. According to the company, 89 percent of domestic land freight transportation is carried out by road, while road freight transportation accounts for 7.4 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions.
“An electric truck without charging infrastructure is just a promise,” said Nicolas Notebaert, general director of Vinci Concessions. “With Vierzon, the company wants to demonstrate that the necessary infrastructure for long-distance electric transportation is already being built.”
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