The Brussels region has launched the new website electrify.brussels, which groups all information on public charging stations for electric vehicles – today exactly 2 311 – in the capital. Brussels Environment Minister Alain Aaron (Ecolo) also announced that EnergyVision won the public contract for 500 new charging points.

To support the electrification of the car fleet, there should be as many as 22 000 public charging stations in Brussels by 2035. The Brussels region wants to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% from 2030 and be CO2 neutral by 2050.

The website offers an interactive map of all public charging stations, indicating whether they are in use. The website also shows how to charge a car, you can report where a public charging point is needed, and there is also a guide to installing a private charging station, with or without the help of federal or regional subsidies.

1 400 charging points in the pipeline

The Brussels Region, Sibelga, the net manager for electricity and natural gas in Brussels, and the VUB university work together to determine the number of charging stations to be installed in the Region every year. For 2023/2024, for example, Sibelga plans to reinforce the offer with 1 400 charging points.

The current charging station network offers a charging solution within 250 meters of the Brussels residents’ homes. However, the new public contract launched by Sibelga in 2023 should ensure that this radius is reduced to 150 meters, for example, by integrating the charging points into lighting poles.

In collaboration with Sibelga, a public tender was also launched for 500 new charging points by 2022. EnergyVision won it and set up EnergyDrive for this purpose. Thanks to the green energy from their solar installations, they can offer very competitive rates.

Higher prices

However, the substantial rise in energy costs will significantly impact the price of on-street charging. “But it will never be as high as if you charge your car at home,” says Sibelga’s director, Anne Mertens, in the newspaper L’Echo.

For example, the price at the 492 charging points installed by EnergyVision is 0,24 euros per kWh. While the price for the other 492 on-street sockets, developed by TotalEnergies, is twice as high: 0,51 euros per kWh. As a result, charging your car at home today can cost more than 50 cents per kWh.

The price will depend on the price set when the concession contract is signed. The concession will go to the cheapest operator, but the agreement provides an annual revision of the tariff, both downward and upward.