Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) has inaugurated the first supercharger station from Sparki, a provider rooted in Belgium. The two superchargers in Deinze kickstart the first series of six ultra-fast charging stations capable of 300 kW, becoming operational in the following days.

By the end of this year, the start-up company wants to govern a network of 200 stations or double the current number. After that, it wants to expand to 600 stations by 2025 and is also looking into even faster charging at 700 kW.

‘Not a charity fund’

De Croo was assisted by his Minister of Finance, Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V). Both Ministers stressed the importance of a Belgian-bred company deploying a supercharger infrastructure.

This market was until now in the hands of Dutch player Fastned, the automotive consortium Ionity, and the pioneering Supercharger network from Tesla. As a private-public company, the Belgian government is a minority shareholder through its investment arm.

“But we’re not a charity fund,” smiled De Croo, stating that he expected a return on investment. A business model that differs from the abovementioned providers will generate these profits. Sparki joins forces with partners willing to free some space on their lots to install the 300 kW strong superchargers.

Predominantly Flanders

In the case of Deinze, that partner is the fuel group Maes. Esso and Shell have also stepped in, while almost all current charging points are located in Flanders – except for Doornik.

Sparki enrolls its partners in dense areas and close to highways. “Of the targeted 200 stations for this year, 160 locations have already been signed,” acknowledges co-founder Filip Vautmans. Apart from Deinze, the other locations are in Beveren, Wilrijk, Destelbergen, and two in Bruges.

The deal is a win-win. Sparki benefits from skipping the investment in real estate while the partner joins in the profits. As a result, Sparki isn’t currently found on freeway service stations, in contrast to Fastned.

Tariffs are comparable, with prices fixed at 0,69 euro cents per kWh. A subscription service, at preferred rates, is still under consideration. As is payment by credit card. Announced for ‘anywhere soon’, customers need to download an app for now.

Pillars from Siemens

Counting the ultra-fast chargers, there are currently 200 deployed in Belgium. “We want to double that to facilitate the need for quick charging sessions in regions with low domestic access to charging, like cities,” says CEO of Sparki Laurens De Meester.

The charging stations are sourced from Siemens and their high-tech SICharge D range. These can provide 300 kW of peak charging, enabling 100 kilometers of range recuperation in five minutes. Ionity provides 50 kW more.

Sparki says it tested the five-minute claim with ten car models. As each charging station counts two pillars, Sparki will make 1 200 charging points available in Belgium by 2025.

From 300 kW to 700 kW

The ‘D’ in the charger’s name stands for dynamic, as the pillars can adapt their flux according to the different cars charging simultaneously. If a Renault Zoe charges with a Porsche Taycan, the available energy will be distributed according to both cars’ deviant peak capacity.

As speed is everything in fast charging, the future for Sparki is looming large. “We’ve already stocked a faster charging 700 kW pillar from Siemens,” declared Vautmans. “We’re currently investigating where and how to use it.” At this point, EV drivers can’t buy a car capable of such a high rate.

The current charging champion is the G9 SUV from Xpeng, capable of 430 kW and available in the Netherlands and the Scandinavian markets.