Free charging stations for electric car: where and how to find them

Some companies provide free terminals for recharge their own fleet of electric cars. These terminals may be available at times and it is possible to take advantage of them without being part of the company.

How to recharge your electric or hybrid car for free ?

Full of electrons is much more affordable than its thermal during, but it is possible to save more money. If a free of free gasoline is unthinkable, there are many free charging stations in France and Europe.

Advertising, your content continues below

Among the many advantages of electric cars, the cost to use is probably the most important. To load the batteries of your electric or hybrid car, many users opt for recharging at home on a sector outlet or with a wallbox. Billing is carried out on the power consumption of the home and offers attractive prices.

Outside the house, on the holiday route for example, it is customary to use public terminals whose price, generally higher than the recharge at home, remains mainly lower than a full of petrol. But it is possible to pay even cheaper using free charging stations.

News: electric car
The European Union will upset the electric recharge of cars

Faced with the complexity of electric recharge, the European Union wants to standardize pricing and simplify the process at the time.

Identify free terminals

The first step is to identify free charging stations at the time of planning. To do this, just have an application like ChargeMap, which lists the load terminals around.

In the upper right corner, select the Filters button, then drop down to check the free terminals option only and hide the terminals of individuals. On the map, locate the terminals displayed nearby. The terminals allowing to connect for free are much more numerous than one might think.

Community chargemap features thus make it possible to verify the operating condition of the terminals or the type of taking available.

Load large brands in parking lots

Large brands, such as supermarkets or shopping centers, often offer free parking for customers. Some go a little further by offering a free charging service. To benefit from it, it is possible that a loyalty card is requested or that the load is limited in time in order to avoid abuse. The fact remains that to regain a few electrons for free when shopping, it cannot be refused.

Advertising, your content continues below

In France, many supermarkets and hypermarkets offer this service.

• Carrefour and Super U, mainly equipped in type 2 and 3C sockets for a power ranging from 3 to 22 kW
• Leclerc, Intermarché and Leroy Merlin, mainly 22 kW terminals
• Auchan and Ikea, which operate type 2 and Chademo sockets for respective powers of 43 and 50 kW

It is also common to find free charging points in cinema parking lots or shopping centers.

Charge with his dealer

Unsurprisingly, several dealers can offer charging stations to their customers. It is thus possible to find enough to connect to the parking lot of your dealer, in particular Renault, BMW, Nissan or Mercedes. For its part, the VAG group (Volkswagen, Audi, Cupra, SEAT) offers the load among the group’s dealerships to all the owners of a car from one of these brands. On the other hand, this is a measure at the initiative of the concessionaire and not of the manufacturer. Thus, certain dealerships of the same brand can offer, or not, a socket for customers.

For her part, Kia offers 12 months of subscription to Ionity and Kia Load Plus, allowing to load at very advantageous prices, for any buyer of an EV6 or a Niro EV.

In the public parking in his city

Committed to more virtuous mobility, some municipalities set up free accessible load terminals. The latter are generally found in public car parks, but you can find it in the street on road parking spaces. Some municipalities condition the charge to pay the parking fee.

At the hotel or restaurant

When you plan your departure on vacation, rigorously choose your hotel or restaurant, because some may offer free terminals. It will thus be comfortable to leave your car in charge before hitting the road the next day or after the meal, without paying the slightest euro.

Tesla car owners generally take advantage of the Tesla Destination Charging terminals for free, the same for Porsche owners with the Porsche Destination Charging terminals.

1800 Power Dot charging stations for European Accor chain hotels

The Power Dot Electric Installer and Operator will provide 1800 Hotels of the Accor chain in charging stations following the.

With his employer

Obviously, it is not a question of entering your boss to connect your car to it, but some companies make charging stations available to their employees. This is often the case for companies which opt for an electric fleet of function vehicles. The installation of terminals in the company’s car park can also be part of the CSE negotiation points.

Advertising, your content continues below

Follow all digital news on Google News

Free charging stations for electric car: where and how to find them ?

THE Free charging stations are the dream of all new electric cars buyers. One of the main arguments to go to the electric car is indeed the fuel -related economy. Electricity costs practically nothing compared to gasoline or diesel. On average, 100 km in electric cost around € 2, while the same distance with a thermal car costs more than € 8. But it is possible to save even more thanks to free recharge. To recharge intelligently, follow the guide !

Benefit from free recharging thanks to the purchase of your electric car

To take advantage of free recharge, it is not necessarily necessary to look for free charging stations. Indeed, some manufacturers, set up Promotional offers When purchasing a 100% electric vehicle to recharge on public terminals free or at reduced cost.

Hyundai, For example, currently offers a free subscription network Ionity for the acquisition of a Ioniq 5. Kia For its part offers a year of subscription to Ionity Power and Kiacharge Plus, its two subscriptions to recharge at a preferential rate, to customers who order a Ev6 or one 100% electric niro. These two promotions do not offer free recharge but allow you to recharge at a reduced price.

Bmw go even further with real Unlimited free charging offer. Buyers of Bmw IX3, Bmw I4, Bmw IX, as well as future owners of Bmw I7 can thus recharge the entire ultra -fast Ionity charging network for a year in unlimited.

Automobile brands often offer Free recharge for brand customers in their concessions. So, if you have an electric mega or a ZOE, you can recharge for free in most Renault dealerships. The Volkswagen group and its various brands (Volkswagen, Seat, Cupra, Audi in particular) also offer the Free recharging in dealerships.

Find free charging stations for your 100% electric car

Find free terminals thanks to charging applications and charging cards

The easiest way to find charging stations is to consult dedicated applications. There are many, they all have a functionality with a interactive card which allows the Search for recharge terminals by location.

THE collaborative applications allow you to inform the electrical outlets and terminals found by the members of the community. We must remain vigilant, because everything is not necessarily controlled and certain terminals may no longer be available but always appear on the platform.

Applications display the Recharge rate : you can easily see if the terminal is free or not. Some applications such as ChargeMap allow to Filter to display only free terminals. An application is notably dedicated to the comparison of charging rates: Charge. Finally, a solution to recharge at the best price may choose the recharging from individual to individual with the application Shargy.

Where are the free charging stations ?

Free recharging can be made available to users in different places. Free terminals were most often installed in parking lots shopping centers, supermarkets or cinemas. Free electrical sockets are often installed Close to the store entrance.

Be careful however, this practice is about to disappear. In April 2021, this is the chain of Westfield shopping centers who makes his charging points paid, while Nissan decides not to renew his partnerships with Ikea and Auchan. If the vagueness is still in order concerning the Japanese manufacturer, Westfield has teamed up with an operator to set up a charging service in its 21 shopping centers, the cost of which will now be 0.25 €/kWh. Supermarkets E.Leclerc could also end their terminals free.

This free charging service is still relevant for LIDL customers during opening hours, or those of Leroy Merlin.

There are also free terminals in Hotels, restaurants and car dealerships. In this case, the terminals are installed on the establishment. You often have to be a customer of the establishment to be able to use them. Do not forget to check the availability of locations, and request authorization before connecting your electric car to a free terminal in a private location !

You can also recharge your electric car for free on certain charging stations installed by communities, they are often on the Town parking or on Public parking lots of the city.

In all cases, the electrical terminals are always indicated by a Specific signaling : Panel “Electric vehicles only”, ground marking by a green paint and an “electric car” logo.

How to find a free charging station around me ?

You can first find a free charging station in the list above. Some recharging terminal location applications offer a filter to find only free terminals around you. Finally, recharge with your dealer is often free.
When you have found a “free” terminal, check free recharge by asking for the brand receipt.

List of stores, shopping centers and hotels with free terminals

Here is a non-exhaustive list of places with free terminals:

• Lidl stores everywhere in France
• Leroy Merlin signs
• Most supermarkets E.leclerc
• U stations and Super U stores
• Many Intermarché stores
• Shopping centers, such as the Eden 2 shopping center
• Some cinemas
• Some dealerships
• For Tesla car drivers: hotels and restaurants of the Tesla Recharge program at destination
• For Porsche car drivers: hotels and restaurants of the Porsche Recharge program at your destination

If you find other brands that offer free recharge, do not hesitate to send us a message so that we add them to this list.

How to benefit from free recharge for your electric car ?

To benefit from free recharge for your electric car, you can use an application with free charging stations. Another solution is to take the brand’s loyalty card or be a customer of an establishment (restaurant/hotel) which offers recharge. In addition, some dealerships offer free recharging when buying your car, you can ask your dealer. But beware: recharge can be paid depending on the charging app or the badge used, even if it is displayed as free on site. Chargeguru therefore advises you to always check that the recharging is very free in the application you want to use before starting the recharging of your electric vehicle.

Conditions to take advantage of free charging stations

Many stores of stores have equipped themselves in charging stations and provide them with their customers for free. Some terms Can be requested: have the store card or leave an identity document at store reception.

In some places, recharge is free for a limited time. The terminal is cut after a certain period of use.

In most cases, free recharge is Reserved for customers store, restaurant or hotel. This is logical given the significant investment required to install charging stations.

If the terminal requires passing a badge to be unlocked, the charging pass you use can have a Impact on free ! Indeed, recharging can be free if you use the company’s charging pass that manages this terminal. On the other hand, if you use a recharge pass from another company, then interoperability may apply. This is why it is recommended to use the company charging pass that manages the terminal if you often use this terminal.

Why are there free charging stations and paid terminals ?

Why offer free recharge ?

This is a question that comes up often: there is no service station distributing gasoline for free. So why free terminals ?

Several reasons explain the provision of free terminals. The main reason is often Promote the development of electric mobility. Without deepening the debate, the latter has many advantages for the environment and society. It is for this reason that the public authorities and local communities sometimes install free terminals.

For stores, hotels and restaurants, free terminals are a means ofattract customers electric. The latter take into account the presence of terminals in their destination choice, and the choice is even easier if recharging is free.

Some companies provide free terminals for recharge their own fleet of electric cars. These terminals may be available at times and it is possible to take advantage of them without being part of the company.

Last scenario: the standard sockets available on public places. An electric car can connect to standard power outlets. It becomes possible to recharge wherever there are self -service electrical sockets. This can be the case with a parking lot of a store, a hotel or a business. However, it is recommended to request authorization.

Can all electrical terminals be free ?

Another frequent question: are all charging stations free ? It would be an ideal world, indeed. The installation of a charging station in a public place often represents an investment of several thousand euros. Each electric car recharge consumes electricity, which is found on the site’s electricity bill ! Maintenance costs also apply to maintain the charging station in good condition.

Some companies may afford to‘Offer this as an additional service to their customers or visitors. However, most need to charge recharge to Damail the initial investment. Even without necessarily making a profit, it is necessary to obtain recipes from the recharge so that the project does not become a financial abyss.

Free terminal networks: dream or reality ?

An ideal situation would be to be able to access Fully free charging networks. Given the costs mentioned above, free terminal networks independent do not exist And will probably not see the day.

There are some isolated cases of companies that offer Free networks reserved for their customers : this is the case of Tesla and Porsche with their respective recharge program. We see, however, that even Tesla, who offered free recharge several years ago on her network Supercharger, A rear machine and made all the paid recharges.

Free public refill or home recharge ?

In France, 90% of recharges are made at home or at work (source). Being able to recharge your electric car without changing your day’s plan is the most practical.

Several solutions are possible to recharge at home:

• If you drive few kilometers, it is possible to connect your electric car to a socketalready existing. However, this is not recommended from the moment you drive regularly with your electric car.
• You can install a dedicated charging solution, a charging point, also called Wallbox, or a reinforced socket. The charging station allows you to regain up to 8x more autonomy than with a standard outlet.

If free recharging is enticing to regain a few tens of kilometers from time to time, the installation of a charging station remains the solution acclaimed by the majority of electric car drivers.

It is always possible to acquire an electric car, to try to use it daily without charging station then to have one installed one if the need is there. Do not hesitate to apply for a quote in a few clicks to get a Personalized estimate of the cost of installing a charging station.