The policy pursued by the previous Walloon government for the rollout of a charging station infrastructure for EVs is inadequate. This is the conclusion of a damning report by the Belgian Court of Auditors.
The plan also focuses too much on the number of charging points and, according to the Court of Auditors, lacks a clear long-term vision for correctly estimating how many charging stations are needed and where they should be located.
“Not very ambitious or in line with EV evolution”
Wallonia currently has between 1,900 and 2,800 public charging stations, depending on the source. The contrast with Flanders, which is admittedly more densely populated, could not be greater: in that region, there are more than 17,000 public charging points accessible to everyone 24/7 (and some 41,500 semi-public; figures from February) – the Brussels Region has some 1,900 public charging points.
For your information, as with figures, it is often difficult to determine the exact number because a mix of official and unofficial data, as well as real-time and administrative statistics, or planning figures, is available.
According to the coordinating sector federation EV Belgium, for example, Flanders currently accounts for 77,000 of all public charging points, while Wallonia has around 13,000, and the Brussels region has almost 10,000.
The fact that the Flemish government has far exceeded Wallonia, not to mention that it has, is because the Walloon government never started from a proper needs analysis, let alone a well-developed plan to steer charging infrastructure policy in a relevant way, as stated by the Court of Auditors.
“Basic data was unavailable or incomplete, and there was no modeling that took into account various parameters, including usage scenarios and the availability of home charging,” says the Court of Audit.
It also points out that the strategy for rolling out charging stations came too late and that it does not provide a ready-made solution to the question of how the electricity grid will support the electrification of transport. Furthermore, it describes the plans as “not very ambitious” and “not in line with the accelerated evolution of the EV market.”
The Court also emphasizes that “no charging stations have been installed thanks to the intervention of the Region” and that, although various initiatives have been taken at the local level by municipalities, intermunicipal associations, and provinces, these “are limited in scope and uncoordinated.”
So, if there were any initiatives, they tended to come from private fast-charging companies such as France’s Electra 40 and Driveco and the Netherlands’ Fastned.
New targets needed
The Court of Auditors recommends that the Walloon government urgently set new targets, effectively mobilize all parties involved in electrification, formulate an action plan, and take measures to stimulate private investment in charging infrastructure.
In May, the new Walloon government proposed a plan to install 1,724 additional charging points by 2026, bringing the total to approximately 4,700 public charging points.
According to various forecasts, Belgium could need up to 150,000 charging points by 2030.
