France writes-off ChaDeMo standard in new legislation

nissan-teneriffa-chademo-02

The end of the CHAdeMO fast-charging standard is on the horizon in France. While a 2017-decree made CHAdeMO mandatory for DC-charging stations alongside CCS and Type 2 by the end of 2024, the government has now revised its plans.

The decree, published in its revised form earlier this month, ends the requirement to implement the Japanese standard. From now on, only CCS for DC charging and Type 2 for AC charging (22 kW) is considered mandatory for newly installed and replaced fast-charging stations in France.

Operators remain free to deploy CHAdeMO if they wish, of course. At the same time, most manufacturers selling electric cars in Europe have implemented CCS and are mostly moving away from CHAdeMO. However, the latter was dominant in the first-gen EV in France, such as the Nissan Leaf, which remains among the best-selling models worldwide. More than 20,000 Leaf have been sold in France since 2015, and the car continues to rely on CHAdeMO. The Peugeot iOn, Citroën C-Zero, and Mitsubishi i-Miev also came equipped with the Asian standard. Nissan will, however, begin offering CCS in Europe in newer models, namely the incoming Ariya.

The previous requirement to offer all fast-charging standards had led to CCS-networks such as Ionity having to install additional 50kW charging stations offering CHAdeMo at the sites in France.

Focus on usability

The French decree further stresses the requirement of interoperability and introduces obligations in terms of quality of service. CPOs and networks must make their commitments public, for example, “report periodically” on the quality levels achieved. Another decree is in the pipeline to further specify these different provisions.

The decree also specifies that maintenance operations must be carried out by professionals holding an IRVE qualification. This also includes checking the terminals at least once a year.

Beyond making CHAdeMO obsolete, the new decree follows requirements relating to the alternative fuels directive (AFID). The latter will come under revision at the EU level very soon, so the decree appears a little late. Moreover, organisations like ChargeUp Europe are lobbying politicians in Brussels to install dedicated legislation for charging infrastructure requirements in Europe.

legifrance.gouv (the decree), automobile-propre.com (both in French)

3 Comments

about „France writes-off ChaDeMo standard in new legislation“
DavEM
11.05.2021 um 19:19
Well that'll kill the second hand market for CHAdeMO basemotors (incl 30kwh Kia soul ) - hopefully won't be taken up in the UK.. Must admit thought Japanese were further developing CHAdeMO for super rapid charging and it would swing back into favour. Interestingly it mostly seems to be the CCS that are flagged as out of order on the public charging networks. Maybe it's just because there's more CCS motors out there so statistically....
John
18.08.2021 um 04:48
The Chademo standard had been updated to 400 kw but the install base of charge stations are still 50 kw and no one is going to be replacing existing charge stations. Also as the Chademo fast charger stations were the first ones out there, they are also the ones in the most disrepair and hence least reliable. The nail in Chademo's coffin is Nissan going with CCS in North America with their new Ariya SUV crossover and of course France's decision. Question is will someone come up with an adapter so you can continue using a Chademo equipped car or will second hand Leaf's become increasingly bound to commutes rather than also for long trips.
Cesar Corral
28.09.2023 um 15:39
Is the AC socket (22kW) in DC chargers mandatory for private chargers? (e.g. Depot locations)

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