Bollore wins backing for France-wide car recharging network

Blue Circle Services

06/02/2015 11:38

PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Groupe Bollore  BOLL.PA  said on 
Friday it will invest 150 million euros ($172 million) to roll 
out an electric-car charging network across France, after the 
plan won government backing. 
    The French conglomerate, whose Blue Solutions  BLUE.PA  
division already operates electric car-sharing services in 
Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon, said in a statement it would install 
16,000 new semi-fast chargers nationwide in the next four years. 
    "Wherever you are on the map there will be at least one 
recharging point every 40 kilometres (25 miles)," the company 
said. 
    The network will also offer wifi hotspots and car-pooling 
services to subscribers, who will be able to reserve time slots 
at recharging points. 
    French carmaker Renault  RENA.PA  has been an enthusiastic 
backer of electric cars, investing 4 billion euros with Japanese 
affiliate Nissan  7201.T  to develop several vehicles and 
battery technologies. 
    But French public investment in national charging 
infrastructure has so far lagged far behind official targets. 
    The Blue Solutions move follows a September joint-venture 
deal between Bollore and Renault to build electric vehicles at 
the carmaker's plant in Dieppe, northern France.  ID:nL5N0RA2SA  
($1 = 0.8744 euros) 
 
 (Reporting by Laurence Frost, editing by David Evans) 
 ((laurence.frost@thomsonreuters.com; +33 1 49 49 56 83; Reuters 
Messaging: laurence.frost.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: FRANCE BOLLORE/ELECTRIC CARS