In the 2010s, Marc Lepage drove an electric car between southern Essonne, where he lived, and Loiret, where he worked. At the time, finding a charging station was a headache. From this complicated experiment germinated the idea of Wattpark. It is his son, Bertrand Lepage, who now presides over the destiny of the start-up based in the village of Saclas (Essonne) and which raised 1.5 million euros in 2021. "There is a real need in the rural world. There are not enough charging stations, especially in remote areas like Beauce where we come from,” explains Bertrand Lepage.
Sometimes referred to as the "Airbnb of electric car charging", Wattpark offers individuals, but also businesses and communities with access from the public road, to install an electric charging station. They can then monetize it as a home on Airbnb. Motorists looking for a charging station can reserve their charging point in advance and activate it using only their mobile phone. When booking, he knows the cost of charging according to duration and power.
The young shoot from Essonne has installed 300 terminals to date, sold excluding tax credits and aid at a price of approximately 720 euros (3.7 kW) and 1,080 euros (7.4 kW), sum to to which must be added the price of the installation of around 1,000 euros. She hopes to reach 500 points in place by the summer. The pace should then pick up in the fall. According to our information, Wattpark is currently discussing with an industrial partner in order to develop on a larger scale. "We have to speed up if we want to be credible in the face of European and Chinese players," said Bertrand Lepage, who does not yet wish to reveal the name of the future industrial partner.
