Owners of an electric car who cannot install a charging point at home and don’t have one nearby can ask for a public charging station in the immediate surroundings of their home.

Since September, citizens with an electric vehicle can file such a request via an e-counter. In the meantime, 437 citizens or companies applied. That is why Flemish Minister of Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), has launched a campaign this week. She wants to inform more people; she aims to have 10 000 additional public charging points in Flanders.

‘Zero-emission vehicles’

The Department of Mobility and Public Works will screen all applications for completeness and admissibility. After approval, energy providers Engie or TotalEnergies will install the requested charging infrastructure no more than six months later. Engie will provide charging infrastructure in Antwerp, East Flanders, and Limburg; TotalEenergies in West Flanders and Flemish Brabant.

Minister Peeters: “I want to increase the comfort for owners of electric cars and accelerate the network’s expansion of public and semi-public charging points. It’s the only way to encourage individuals and companies to opt for zero-emission vehicles.”

No obstacle

The campaign is intended to convince citizens that there is a possibility to request a public charging station. In other words, being unable to charge at home should no longer be an obstacle to electric driving.

The applications from citizens and companies will lead to the expansion of the existing charging network for electric vehicles, but apart from that, two other strategies will follow. For example, charging points will automatically be added when existing charging points are used intensively. On top of that, local authorities can install additional charging points at strategic locations.

Truck charging stations

Minister Peeters will also issue a public tender for installing semi-public truck charging stations before the end of this year. Most major truck manufacturers support electrification, and according to estimations, by 2030, almost one out of three newly sold trucks will be fully electric.

However, charging stations for electric trucks are far more expensive than those for standard EVs: they must have a higher charging speed to charge large batteries quickly. Minister Peeters, therefore, announced Flemish subsidies to lower that threshold slightly.