Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, the electrification of our uses has taken up more and more space in the debate.
Against this backdrop of high geopolitical tension, the government has announced a massive plan to electrify France.
Is it a good idea?
Obviously.
Electrifying our uses is not an option, it is an imperative.
Why?
For reasons of sovereignty, by reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels (50% of European consumption, according to Rothschild Asset Management), but also and above all to prepare the Future.
With a capital F.
Massive electrification of our uses is today the most effective route to cutting our greenhouse gas emissions and reaching the carbon-neutrality target set by the European Commission for 2050.
Except that, in practice, the numbers do not add up.
To meet that target, we would need to cut emissions by roughly 5% a year between 2024 and 2030, then 7% between 2030 and 2050 (against an average of 3% between 2017 and 2023).
Yet the latest figures show that France reduced its emissions by only around 1.5% in 2025 (source: Citepa barometer).
Comparison of CO2 emissions in France - Citepa / Barometer
Why such a gap?
Because today, our energy mix remains largely dependent on fossil fuels (63%), while only 27% of our energy consumption comes from electricity (source: SDES, 2025).
Conversely, electricity produced in France was more than 95% decarbonised in 2025 according to RTE (with a mix of nuclear and renewables).
In other words: to electrify is to decarbonise.
Simple. Basic.
That said, is this electrification plan proposed by the government viable?
As a first step, the government's idea is to identify the main barriers to a massive electrification of our uses.
So let us look in more detail at what might be blocking it.
1. Is it a lack of technological solutions?
No.
Whether in transport, industry, buildings or digital, the solutions exist. They are mature, deployable and backed by players ready to scale.
Such an electrification plan would, moreover, send a strong signal to investors to keep innovating.
EV charging station - Le Plein Auchan Boulogne - Saint-Martin
2. Insufficient impact on emissions?
Not that either.
In 2026, with more than 95% of the electricity produced in France decarbonised (nuclear, renewables, etc.) according to RTE, France ranks among the best-performing countries. Our carbon intensity is very low (19.6 gCO₂eq/kWh), one of the lowest in the world.
Replacing a fossil use with decarbonised electricity means immediately reducing its carbon footprint.
SDES, French energy balance
3. An industrialisation problem?
On the contrary. It is an opportunity.
The electric transition is a major lever for reindustrialisation and for winning back our industrial sovereignty. That is, indeed, one of the objectives of the PPE3 and of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), with a determination to strengthen "Made in Europe".
We can already see it in mobility:
- development of battery gigafactories in northern France,
- creation of the France Batterie collective,
- relocation of electric vehicle production (e.g. the Renault R5 at Douai).
The electrification plan should amplify this momentum, with support announced at around €10bn a year (against €5.5bn today).
Production of the Renault R5 at Douai - Christel Sasso / Planimonteur
4. Insufficient generation?
No.
According to RTE, France produced more electricity than it consumed in 2025.
We have even entered a period of overcapacity which, paradoxically, could push costs up if electricity demand does not rise sufficiently (network imbalance).
France thus exports a large share of its electricity: the net balance reached 92.3 TWh in 2025 (i.e. 17% of production).
Our electricity system is robust, dispatchable and sized to support massive electrification.
The grid is ready. It is only waiting for demand.
RTE - 2025
5. Dependence merely displaced?
Hard to argue.
The vast majority of the electricity consumed in France is produced on national territory.
In 2025, low-carbon generation (nuclear + renewables) reached a record 521.1 TWh, or 95.2% of total production (RTE).
Nothing like the current dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Wind farm - Voltalia
6. A cost problem for the user?
Less and less.
Electricity is competitive and, above all, the gains are immediate for users:
- electric mobility: running costs up to 5x lower,
- heat pumps: up to 50% off the energy bill.
Electricity is also less exposed to geopolitical shocks than fossil fuels (for the reasons set out above). So the issue is no longer really the cost of use.
Customs in 2025, SDEC through 2025 - RTE
The real challenge today is access to these solutions for households and businesses.
Take the case of mobility. Purchase incentives for new vehicles are renewed in the electrification plan (leasing, fleet support, heavy vehicles, high-mileage drivers, etc.), with a clear objective: to reach "2 out of 3 new cars fully electric by 2030". That is both relevant and ambitious.
But to genuinely change scale, we need to go further.
Notably by introducing complementary measures to support the purchase of used electric vehicles, in order to democratise their use. Every great revolution happens when everyone can take part. For that, everyone must be given the means to make the transition.
The same holds on the infrastructure side: many players are building charging networks capable of supporting demand that is set to grow strongly. But this infrastructure is expensive. It is essential to support it and, above all, to ensure the durability of those investments — notably by accelerating action against charger vandalism, which represents a real cost and holds back investment capacity across the country.
7. A lack of market maturity?
Let us look at mobility.
Today, 1 vehicle in 5 sold in France is fully electric, against less than 14% two years ago (source: Avere).
The momentum is clear.
The historic barriers are gradually falling: range, charging network, price transparency.
Uses are changing. So are mindsets.
SDES, RTE
So, once all these obstacles are lifted, what is left?
Not much.
For our part, at Yusco, we work every day alongside many players to deploy a robust public charging network suited to every use. All our decisions are guided by our values of commitment, boldness and collective spirit. In our view, that is what it takes to carry through this great project of electrifying France — already begun, but which must now change scale.
In parallel, through collectives such as Charge France and MOBILIANS, we contribute actively to the structuring debates of the sector.
So the will is there and the conditions are in place.
What is missing today is a movement of scale.
We can only hope for a collective acceleration.
So, shall we accelerate?
We are ready.
👉 Find out more: yusco.io