ABB E-mobility to equip 12 Oreve truck charging sites in France with 18 MW by 2028

ABB E-mobility will supply the charging equipment, cloud-based management technology and technical support for 12 new high-power charging sites that Oreve will develop along major freight corridors in France. The sites will add about 100 charging points and around 18 MW of combined installed capacity once fully deployed by the end of 2028, Container News reported. They will also provide charging capacity for passenger vehicles. The project aims to support growing use of electric trucks in road freight.

The agreement extends a three-year partnership that currently operates six charging sites in France, including Bourg-de-Péage, Vénissieux and Pardies.

Hardware and scaling

The new locations will open with ABB E-mobility's A400 chargers, which can distribute up to 400 kW between two charging points. From early 2027, the rollout will add the M-Series modular charging system. ABB E-mobility says the system can support charging hubs with capacities of up to 1.2 MW and supports both CCS and the Megawatt Charging System.

Automotive World reported that the M-Series adds power cabinets and as many as 24 dispensers without rebuilding a site's electrical backbone. That lets Oreve expand a location as truck traffic grows and introduce megawatt charging. The first MCS-capable installation under the expanded partnership is planned for 2027.

France's target and the scale gap

Container News reported that France's road-network charging plan targets about 8,000 truck charging points at around 560 motorway service and rest areas by 2035, with roughly 1.6 GW of dedicated capacity along major freight routes. Against that, Automotive World described Oreve's 18 MW as a small early slice of the build-out.

The corridor focus matches where demand is expected to concentrate. A study published on 24 September, whose first author is Steffen Link of Fraunhofer ISI, modeled charging demand across the EU, UK, Norway and Switzerland under a moderate electrification scenario. It put demand at about 100 TWh a year in 2035 and 200 TWh in 2045, with the top 10% of areas accounting for 67% to 90% of charging energy in each country. The study found hotspots mainly along major freight corridors, at motorway junctions, in metropolitan areas and industrial hubs.

What the companies say

Nicolas Dourassoff, CEO of Oreve, said the company intends to expand its charging infrastructure in line with developments in electric truck technology. Bruno Bourguet, President EMEA at ABB E-mobility, said Oreve saw early where freight logistics was heading and began building the charging infrastructure to match.

"Our architecture enables them to expand each site as truck traffic grows, while creating a clear path toward megawatt charging." Bruno Bourguet, President EMEA at ABB E-mobility

What happens next

The 12 sites remain under development, with full deployment targeted for the end of 2028. France's plan runs to 2035.