Electric cars: TotalEnergies announces the elimination of 1,600 service stations in Europe to prepare for the end of thermal energy in 2035

TotalEnergies announced on Thursday March 16 that it was selling nearly 1,600 petrol stations in Germany and the Netherlands to Canadian food and fuel distribution group Couche-Tard, to better prepare for the end of internal combustion vehicle sales in Europe in 2035.

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The vote of the European Parliament in mid-February which provides for a ban on the sale of new internal combustion vehicles in Europe in 2035 in particular to the benefit of the development of electric vehicles “encourages TotalEnergies to make decisions on the future of its networks in Europe which will have to deal with a loss of their fuel-related income, while electric vehicles will be recharged mostly at home or work and less at stations,” the oil giant explains in a press release.

“Development of the new mobility”

In Germany and the Netherlands, TotalEnergies announces that it will “sell all its service station networks to Couche-Tard, i.e. 1,198 stations in Germany and 392 in the Netherlands”, countries in which the group claims it is not a leader and where ” the expertise of a local trade actor is essential”.

TotalEnergies “will therefore focus on the development of new forms of mobility (electric and hydrogen) in these countries”, specifies the group, before listing off-station electric recharging activities, hydrogen distribution, fuel wholesale and the network of fuel stations for AS24 professionals. In Belgium and Luxembourg, where the French giant claims to be the leader, a joint venture will be created between TotalEnergies (40%) and Couche-Tard (60%) to manage 619 service stations and accelerate “the transformation of these two networks by maximizing their sales excluding petroleum fuels”.

The stations in the four countries will keep the TotalEnergies brand as long as they are supplied with fuel by the oil group “for at least five years”, specifies the latter.