The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) hinges not only on price but also on the entire ecosystem surrounding them. Today, the charging experience has become a decisive factor in the purchase decision. BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval brings together key players in the ecosystem to collectively build the best possible charging experience.
Europe now has over 1.1 million public charging stations—seven times more than in 2020. In France, 190,000 charging points are deployed, a 17% increase in just one year. The numbers speak for themselves: the infrastructure is expanding rapidly. Yet, consumer confidence is not keeping pace.
This paradox encapsulates the current challenge in the electric mobility sector. The issue is no longer just technological—it has become experiential. The real question is no longer whether charging stations will multiply, but whether the customer experience will match this growth.
1.1M
public charging stations in Europe (+7.3x since 2020)
according to IEA Global EV Outlook 2025
190k
charging points in France (as of March 2026, +17% year-on-year)
according to IEA Global EV Outlook 2025
9x
increase expected in Europe by 2030 according to IEA Net Zero scenario
94%
of EV drivers would not return to a combustion engine vehicle
The real customer experience: when charging becomes a test of trust
Despite market progress, charging an EV remains a complex experience for many users—not because of a lack of stations, but because the process is fragmented, unclear, and sometimes discouraging. The main pain points include:
- Lack of transparency in pricing models (up to 219 different pricing schemes in France).
- Complex home charging installation, especially in collective housing.
- Confusion between fast and slow charging.
- Multiple operators and apps, requiring different subscriptions.
Manufacturers, distributors, installers, energy providers, and financiers each control a piece of the puzzle, but no one oversees the entire journey. Most importantly, no one yet fully plays the role of orchestrating the customer experience.
An ecosystem in search of coordination
For manufacturers and distributors, home charging installation is a moment of truth. If this step fails or becomes complicated, the entire promise of electric mobility is at risk.
Energy providers see vehicle electrification as a systemic transformation. EDF estimates that electrifying the automotive fleet could require 80–100 TWh of additional energy, equivalent to 20–25% more production capacity. For households, this could mean a 50% increase in electricity bills (around €2,000–3,000 per year). In this context, pricing transparency is not just a matter of convenience—it is a key driver of trust and adoption.
Ultimately, customer expectations converge on the same priorities:
- Understanding pricing before plugging in
- Seamless home installation
- A consistent experience across all public networks, regardless of the charging station
- Reliable support at every step
These expectations clearly outline the priority action areas for the coming years.
The subjects of standardisation, interoperability and regulatory coordination have already been structuring exchanges between players for several years. The direction is known. What is still missing is the ability to accelerate, together, in a concrete and coordinated way.
Some advancements are already visible: bank card payments are becoming standard, roaming (the ability to charge on any network without a specific subscription) is improving. However, other challenges will take more time. One thing is certain: no single organization can tackle this alone. It is the ecosystem’s ability to coordinate that will create a charging experience capable of accelerating EV adoption.
BNP Paribas Personal Finance’s role: federating stakeholders to drive change
It is in this context that BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval organized the Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility Forum, bringing together manufacturers, distributors, energy providers, and mobility ecosystem players. The goal? To build a simple, transparent, and high-performance charging experience that accelerates EV adoption.
Discover in this video how BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval collaborate with the Sustainability Managers of their strategic partners to design the ideal future charging experience for electric vehicle drivers.
The ambition is clear: to develop, alongside all partners, an exemplary charging experience by 2030.
BNP Paribas Personal Finance positions itself as a facilitator and catalyst, because the electric mobility of tomorrow will not be built in silos or halfway—it will be built collectively, with manufacturers, energy providers, financiers, operators, and regulators.
The adoption of electric vehicles will not be won solely on vehicle performance or infrastructure deployment, but on the quality of the customer experience at every stage of charging. True to our DNA of supporting clients and partners toward more sustainable and responsible mobility, BNP Paribas Personal Finance was committed to bringing together the entire ecosystem to develop concrete, collective solutions that meet consumer expectations.
FAQs: Charging experience, sustainable mobility and electric vehicles
What are the main obstacles to a seamless charging experience for EV drivers?
Four major pain points were identified at the Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility Forum organized by BNP Paribas Personal Finance:
- Lack of clarity on available charging types
- Opaque pricing (up to 219 different pricing schemes in France, making comparisons impossible)
- Fragmentation of the home charging ecosystem (multiple operators, separate apps)
- Complexity of home charging installation, a critical moment for both customer and seller confidence
Do EV drivers tend to switch back to combustion engine vehicles?
No. Market data is clear: 95% of EV drivers would not return to a combustion engine. Post-adoption loyalty is strong, even when the Net Promoter Score (NPS) for EV drivers is slightly lower than for combustion engine drivers in some cases. This confirms that the industry’s real challenge is conversion—helping hesitant customers make their first purchase through reassuring messaging, a smooth charging experience, and clear offers.
What solutions exist today to simplify home charging when purchasing an EV?
The market trend is toward bundled offers combining vehicle financing, charging stations, and installation in a single customer journey. BNP Paribas Personal Finance already offers such a solution and continues to accelerate collaboration with partners. The goal is to make the experience simple and almost invisible for the customer. This approach is increasingly seen as a major commercial differentiator for manufacturers and distributors.
What is the Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility Forum organized by BNP Paribas Personal Finance?
The Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility Forum is an event organized by BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval in France. It brings together automotive industry players and energy providers around a shared goal: developing more sustainable mobility. This community engages in regular exchanges and events on common challenges such as electrification, access to mobility for all, carbon footprint methodologies, and more.
The 2026 edition of the forum gathered automotive industry leaders such as Renault, Stellantis, Polestar, Emil Frey, BMW, JLR, and Kia, along with energy providers Fastned, Eneco, and EDF. Discussions focused on the EV driver charging experience (features, services, ecosystem integration) to identify priority solutions and the conditions for mass EV adoption by 2030.
