Interview with Éric Couvez, Elected Official of Nantes Métropole in charge of Clean Vehicles

The Nantes Metropolis, made up of 24 municipalities, recently launched a call for expressions of interest for the installation of charging stations. Faced with the increase in electric vehicles and the need to promote sustainable mobility solutions, the metropolis has selected the company E-Totem to deploy a network of charging stations in its territory. Éric Couvez, elected in charge of clean vehicles in Nantes Métropole, talks to us about it in detail.

To interview : Hello, Mr. Couvez. Thank you for welcoming us to discuss this ambitious initiative of the Métropole de Nantes.

Eric Couvez: Hello, thank you for your interest in this important project for our territory.

To interview : Can you explain to us what this call for expressions of interest for the planting of charging stations consists of and why the company E-Totem was chosen?

Eric Couvez: Absolutely. We have launched this call to install charging stations on land belonging to municipalities and the metropolis. E-Totem, already established in cities such as Montpellier and Saint-Étienne, was selected because of its proposal which perfectly met our specifications. This mainly provided for installations in parking lots and other public spaces, but not along roads, in order to promote safe urban travel.

To interview : What were your precise expectations and the criteria of your specifications for this project?

Eric Couvez: Our specifications included the installation of charging stations in car parks, sports and cultural spaces, and near town halls or markets. We have also carried out studies to determine the penetration rate of electric vehicles in each municipality, in order to adapt the deployment of terminals to real needs. We had initially planned 650 terminals, but thanks to E-Totem, we will be able to install 1,450 charging points, including 1,200 for vehicles and 250 for bicycles and other individual means of transport.

To interview : How will you manage charging pricing via this network?

Eric Couvez: We will implement different pricing options, depending on the type of charging: slow, accelerated, and fast. Users will not only pay for charging, but also for parking if their vehicle stays too long after charging. We want to encourage efficient vehicle rotation to maximize terminal accessibility.

To interview : Will the deployment of terminals be a public-private partnership?

Eric Couvez: Yes, the deployment will be fully supported by E-Totem. We worked in advance to ensure that the locations were technically viable. E-Totem is responsible for installing all the terminals by 2025. We hope that each municipality will have at least one charging point by the end of 2024.

To interview : Is this network of charging stations intended to attract more visitors to Nantes?

Eric Couvez: The main objective is to meet the growing needs for electromobility. Although we did not specifically seek to attract visitors, we took into account the needs of people in transit, particularly those coming from Brittany, Bordeaux and Paris, by installing fast charging stations on the ring road.

To interview : Thanks a lot for the clarifications. This initiative is a great step forward for the metropolis of Nantes.

Eric Couvez: Thank you. We are very excited to see this project come to fruition and to offer better charging infrastructure to our citizens.