Charging points in Belgium: the catch-up movement has started
More and more people are opting for an electric car. Naturally, we at LeasePlan can only applaud that. But not everyone has the opportunity to install a charging point at home, so we are seeing more and more charging points popping up along public roads. What is the current situation and how will it evolve in the near future?
In Belgium, the government is investing heavily in electric driving. Companies are encouraged to opt entirely for EV for their fleet, because only these cars and the costs of electricity will soon be 100 percent tax deductible. From 1 July 2023, the CO2 tax will be increased for cars with a combustion engine. It will increase a little every year. In addition, the tax benefit gradually decreases. For example, the maximum deduction will be capped from 2025 and will eventually disappear completely in 2028. And so companies today are fully opting for EV. According to the latest figures, no less than 60% of the ordered commercial vehicles in 2022 will be a plug-in hybrid or an EV.
A major turnaround has begun
A few years ago there was still a lot of skepticism about electric driving. Many motorists questioned the limited range and few trusted the new technology. Today seems to be the big turnaround. Those who drive electric do not want to go back. Car manufacturers now have enough experience in the development of EVs and the range has also become very good for most models. Moreover, many car drivers now also realize the conveniences of an EV, such as the excellent driving comfort. According to EVReportsMarket.com, 2.53 million electrified passenger cars were registered in Europe in 2022. Today, there are no less than 8 million electric or plug-in hybrid cars on European roads.
Additional charging stations required
The major switch to EV also makes it clear that more investment is urgently needed in public charging infrastructure. In Belgium, the catch-up movement has already started. In 2022, almost 13 000 (semi-)public charging stations were added, which means that our country is now ahead of schedule. Public charging stations are the charging stations that you can find publicly along the road or in parking spaces. Semi-public charging stations are charging stations that are not located on public domain, but are accessible to everyone for at least 10 hours a day. In total, Belgium currently has just under 24,000 (semi-)public charging stations, an increase of 90 percent in one year. Just under 10,000 of these are fully public. That remains a lot less than Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Italy, among others. By way of comparison: The Netherlands currently has approximately 115,000 public charging points.
In addition to the public charging stations, there are also about 1000 fast charging points on direct current in our country. You will find them mainly along the highways. The largest growth is at the charging stations that produce a capacity between 7.4 kW and 22 kW. They are widely posted today.
Flanders is at the forefront
It is striking that there is significant investment in charging infrastructure, especially in Flanders. In 2022, 800 new charging points were added each time in Brussels and Wallonia. Today, Wallonia has 3300 charging points and Brussels has 2800. This is in stark contrast to the 21,000 charging points in Flanders. The Flemish government is therefore convinced that by 2025 there will be no fewer than 35,000 charging equivalents in Flanders. This means that Flanders will have one charging point per 10 electric cars by then.
The catching-up movement therefore seems to have started, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Mobility organization Touring calculated that we will need no less than 150,000 charging points in Belgium by 2030 to accommodate the increasing number of electric cars, especially since all company cars must be emission-free from 2026. After that, that number will have to increase exponentially, given the ban on the sale of new cars with a combustion engine from 2035. Or do e-fuels offer a solution here? **
Request a public charging station yourself**
Not everyone can install a charging point at their home themselves, but owners of electric cars can request a public charging point in their neighbourhood. You do this via the digital counter of the Flemish government. The condition is that you do not have room for your own charging point at home and that no public charging station is available within a radius of 250 meters from your home.
Become a Happy Charger
Also make sure that charging stations are not unnecessarily occupied and move your car when it is fully charged! With our Happy Charger charging disc you let other drivers know when that will be. It works just like a parking card: indicate on the disc when your car will be charged and place it in a visible place behind your windscreen. Together we put charging courtesy first!
Don't have a Happy Charger charging disc yet? Request one via our website.
