Ouest Charge

Ouest Charge is a French public electric-vehicle (EV) charging network covering the regions of Brittany and Pays de la Loire. It is not a conventional commercial company but a cooperative public initiative: the departmental energy syndicates of Côtes d'Armor (22), Finistère and Brest Métropole (29), Ille-et-Vilaine (35), Loire-Atlantique (44) and Maine-et-Loire (49) have joined forces under the Ouest-Charge banner to develop low-carbon mobility and to contribute to air-quality protection and the fight against climate change. The network presents itself as the largest public EV charging network in Brittany and Pays de la Loire. The service is designed around accessibility and competitiveness. According to its official site, Ouest Charge operates 214 charging points, of which 21 are fast chargers, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at prices described as among the most competitive on the market. Users can locate a charging point, create an account and consult tariffs directly through the Ouest Charge website. In Maine-et-Loire, the syndicate Siéml has made a contractual commitment, through its energy supplier, to inject an equivalent quantity of renewable-origin energy into the electricity grid for every charge made on the network — allowing drivers to "drive 100% green." The network is in a phase of active expansion. Ouest Charge states that it continues to extend and multiply charging points across the territory to offer drivers more options. Recent activity includes the inauguration of an ultra-fast charging point at Saint-Léger-de-Linières on 13 May 2024, in the Parc d'activités de l'Atlantique, as part of a plan built on closer cooperation between public and private actors. New Ouest Charge charging points were installed by Siéml in Maine-et-Loire in 2024. Because it is owned and governed by public energy syndicates rather than shareholders, Ouest Charge occupies a hybrid position: it is a public-service infrastructure brand operating in the competitive EV-charging market. Its role is to accelerate the transition to electric mobility in western France by ensuring dense, reliable and affordable public charging coverage across both urban and rural territories.

Ouest Charge emerged from a cooperative effort among French departmental energy syndicates in western France. The syndicats d'énergie of Côtes d'Armor (22), Finistère and Brest Métropole (29), Ille-et-Vilaine (35), Loire-Atlantique (44) and Maine-et-Loire (49) united under the Ouest-Charge banner to create a shared public network of electric-vehicle charging stations. The stated purpose was to develop low-carbon mobility and thereby contribute to protecting air quality and combating climate change. The network was designed as a public-service answer to the fragmented early EV-charging market, pooling the resources and territorial reach of several departmental authorities to deliver a coherent charging infrastructure across Brittany and Pays de la Loire. By the time of its public communications, Ouest Charge described itself as the largest public EV charging network in those two regions, operating 214 charging points, including 21 fast chargers, available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. A distinctive feature of the network is its environmental commitment in Maine-et-Loire, where the syndicate Siéml contractually guarantees, through its energy supplier, that an equivalent quantity of renewable-origin electricity is injected into the grid for every charge made on Ouest Charge points in the department. This allows users to "drive 100% green" in that territory. The network has continued to expand. In 2024, Siéml installed new Ouest Charge charging points in Maine-et-Loire as part of an ambitious plan founded on better cooperation between public and private actors. On 13 May 2024, an ultra-fast charging point was inaugurated at Saint-Léger-de-Linières, in the Parc d'activités de l'Atlantique, illustrating the network's move toward higher-power charging to serve longer-distance travel. Ouest Charge states that it continues to extend and multiply charging points across its territory to offer drivers maximum options for recharging electric vehicles.

• Inauguration of an ultra-fast charging point at Saint-Léger-de-Linières, Parc d'activités de l'Atlantique.

• New Ouest Charge charging points installed by Siéml in Maine-et-Loire as part of an expansion plan.

Largest public EV charging network in Brittany and Pays de la Loire, offering competitive pricing and 24/7 service as a public-service low-carbon mobility initiative.

• Public EV charging points

  214 charging points available 24/7 across Brittany and Pays de la Loire.

• Fast chargers

  21 fast charging points within the network.

• Ultra-fast charging point

  Inaugurated at Saint-Léger-de-Linières in May 2024.

1. 1Ouest Charge - Accueilouestcharge.fr
2. 2Wikidata Q133444508wikidata.org