Technology presenter Anicet Mbida announced on French television network TF1 that new 600 kW chargers on the A7 motorway can provide electric vehicles with 300 kilometres of range in eight minutes.
The ultra-fast charging terminals are currently the most powerful installed in France. Mbida said the development represents a major step toward matching traditional petrol station refuelling times of three to four minutes.
TF1 is France's primary private national television channel, broadcasting daily morning news programmes across the country. The A7 motorway, commonly known as the Autoroute du Soleil, is a major highway corridor connecting Lyon to Marseille that experiences heavy holiday travel.
Robotic parking and EV charging sessions
Finding an available charging station in urban centres remains a major challenge for motorists as city parking spaces are heavily congested. To address space limitations, a tech company has introduced a system that combines parking reservation with battery charging.
Reporting on TF1 morning broadcast Bonjour ! La Matinale TF1, Mbida explained that drivers will no longer reserve a static parking spot. Instead, motorists reserve an active charging session managed by an automated system.
A small robot reserves a parking spot on behalf of the driver and transmits the exact location directly to the user's mobile phone. Upon arrival, the driver parks, pays, and accesses a dedicated personal charging point.
Once the vehicle battery reaches full capacity, the system sends an automated notification to the driver's smartphone. This alert prompts the motorist to move their vehicle quickly so that other drivers can access the charging point.
Urban electric vehicle infrastructure across European cities often struggles with space constraints and long dwell times at charging points. Dedicated reservation systems aim to reduce idle parking times and improve turnover at busy municipal charging stations.
Ultra-fast 600 kW highway charging
Alongside city parking innovations, high-power charging technology is expanding onto French motorways. The newly deployed 600 kW chargers on the A7 highway are currently the most powerful public charging stations operating in France.
Mbida reported that these 600 kW stations can restore 300 kilometres of driving range in eight minutes. He added that future technology could reduce charging times to between three and four minutes in the coming years.
Drivers seeking to take advantage of these ultra-fast speeds will likely need to upgrade to newer vehicle models equipped with next-generation battery architectures capable of accepting high voltage inputs.
Standard rapid chargers along European highways typically supply between 150 kW and 350 kW of power. Operating at 600 kW requires advanced 800-volt or higher vehicle battery systems and active liquid cooling in charging cables to prevent overheating during rapid energy transfer.
