Supporting electric mobility

While of modest size, the electric vehicle market is burgeoning, stimulated by increasing government incentives, as well as by car manufacturers, which are investing heavily in order to produce a larger range of vehicles with fewer road limitations. This is also an emerging market, where customers are aware of what is at stake, but still have many questions about how to structure their financing and choose their equipment, etc.

The Group is maintaining its strategy, which consists in providing a comprehensive response to all of these challenges. It offers full packages, sized according to the number of vehicles to charge, powered by standard sources or by renewable solar energies. These packages include all the necessary products, such as the charging station, but also the switchboard adapter with the proper protection and connection according to cable size. Most importantly, they include all the services that Rexel offers users and operators, such as operating services for registering the charging point online to help users find it via smartphone, book it, pay for the charge online, and even request remote maintenance in case of difficulties while using the charging station (hotline number on the terminal with 24/7 remote assistance). At the same time, Rexel accompanies its installer partners with an iRVE (Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles) certified training service, which is mandatory in order to qualify for subsidies.

Sales of heavy-duty electric plugs, particularly in the residential private market, remained stable in 2018. In contrast, sales of charging stations have grown considerably due to the increase in battery power capacities which imply that cars need to charge faster, but also to the rapid growth in equipment investments in the commercial sector (hotels, restaurants, retailers, etc.).