Jochen De Smet is the current president of EV Belgium, a known facilitator of the energy transition. Being one of the speakers at Mobia’s Mobility Stakeholders Day, he stressed that the technology of this transition is not the problem, but the organization of it, especially the price transparency for the customer.

“Europe has been working on this price transparency. It’s part of the so-called EU AFIR regulations (Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation),” explains De Smet. “They force chargers with a capacity of 50 KW and more (DC charging) to have a screen where pricing and other info is displayed, while smaller chargers (mostly AC) can suffice with an app (and a QR-code, for example).”

“This will not be easy, given directives’ vagueness and the pricing structure’s complexity,” De Smet continues. The pricing generally consists of three components: the price of the energy, in this case, electricity, the part of the charging port operators (CPOs), and the tariff for the mobility service providers or MSPs, which manage the loading passes and the pay administration.”

“This is easy to coordinate and technically very complicated,” De Smet comments. “In Belgium, there are some 80 CPOs, and in Europe, we count 400. Initially, they combined CPO and MSP tasks, but that will be increasingly separated. For the moment, the MSP story is unclear, and some MSPs are even doubling the price of the electricity as a cost for their services, which is completely exaggerated.”

Keeping the pace

When we talk about charging infrastructure, there is a severe difference between regular(AC) charging and fast (DC) charging. “In general, we can say that a lot of normal chargers are added,” says De Smet. “They’re practically keeping up the pace of the EVs coming on the market, and waiting times for installation are less than three months.”

“Fast chargers is a much more complicated process. Several official licenses or permits are involved, which can take a while. After that, the installation can also take a lot of time. The fast charger is operational two years after the decision to install was made.”

“In Belgium, there are three main routes for installing fast chargers,” De Smet points out. “Mostly in Flanders, you have the Park & Rides: some 80 of them are in the region, and they usually count four to eight charging points. Then, there are the retail centers (Delhaize, Carrefour, Colruyt, Lidl, etc.), and the gas filling stations are starting to get their ‘electric corner’.”

Saturation

“In my opinion, there’s a sure chance that the market for fast chargers will be fairly rapidly saturated. People with an electric vehicle first charge at home or work because of the lower price. If not available, they go to the public chargers, but not necessarily the fast chargers. In my view, there will soon be an oversupply of those chargers, which will decrease the price.”

“One can look at the electricity grid as a highway. They have the same peaks of use and threats of congestion at almost the same hours. Regarding infrastructure, we were waiting for the public authorities to lead the way, but that didn’t happen. Now, we see private partners taking over and a great difference between regions: while Flanders and even Brussels are catching up, Wallonia comes far behind. Many initiatives will be needed over there in the coming years.”

Who is EV Belgium?

“We try to be a facilitator for the energy transition,” says Jochen De Smet, the current president. EV Belgium wants to bring all stakeholders together: the CPOs, the MSPs, the manufacturers, the authorities, etc. E-mobility is like a chain; it’s a natural ecosystem in which each shackle is essential.”

“Currently, we have 150 members and see our tasks as multiple and diversified. We want to help public authorities understand the energy transition’s needs and help them create and take the necessary measures.”

“Secondly, but equally important, is training. The transition leads to many new technologies; we need people to design, understand, implement, and repair them. And thirdly, we sometimes create events where people meet and see what is happening in this rapidly evolving market.”