Public Charging Stations for Electric Cars
Public Charging Stations for Electric Cars
Public Charging Stations for Electric Cars
Public Charging Stations
Unlike a home outlet or a charging station at your home, public charging stations are accessible to everyone. Typically, your electric car charges faster here. In addition to using a charging card, you can also use an app on your smartphone to charge your car.
How Does a Public Charging Station Work?
There are generally two types of public charging points. Public charging infrastructure can be divided into two main groups: the “standard” charging stations with Mode 3 points where you need to bring your own cable, and Mode 4 where the cable is part of the fast-charging station. Charging speed depends not only on the charger but also on the electric car, the cable, and the number of vehicles that can be connected to a station.
Requesting a Public Charging Station
You can request a public charging station for your electric car through Fluvius. In recent years, Fluvius, under the impetus of the Flemish Government, has been managing the infrastructure for public charging stations. This began on May 11, 2016. Currently, there are already 4,272 in use, not including initiatives by local authorities. You can find all public charging stations on the map.
Map of Public Charging Infrastructure in Flanders
In the Flanders region, there were 4,579 public charging stations as of April 2021. These have a capacity of up to 22kW. In addition to these standard charging points, there are also 127 public charging points and 24 ultra-fast chargers available to the public. You can find an overview of all European charging stations here: charging stations overview. Public stations can be used by anyone, but you will need a charging card or an app on your smartphone.
Cost of Public Charging Stations
What you pay at a public charging station depends on the operator of the charging point and the issuer of the charging card. In most cases, the cost is calculated based on the amount of electricity in kWh, the duration of the charging, or a combination of the two.
Generally, public fast chargers on AC are more expensive per kWh than standard AC charging stations with 3-phase and Type 2 connectors. Charging at home is always cheaper. Public charging is more expensive but faster. Comparing and prioritizing is key.
Finding Public Charging Stations with an App
With the ChargeMap app, you can find public charging stations in your area via a map. It is also likely that your electric car has built-in GPS, so you always have a list of public charging stations at hand. However, such overviews are not always complete and may even contain errors. It is a good idea to supplement this information with navigation apps on your phone.
Charging Station Operators in Belgium
The number of public charging stations continues to grow. The main operators of charging points in our country can be divided into free providers and paid charging locations.
Free Charging Stations
In addition to paid public charging stations, there are still charging points in Belgium where you do not have to pay for charging your car. You can find these at supermarket chains or other businesses that want to offer an extra service to their customers. Here is a list of such locations:
| Location | Number of Charging Points |
|---|---|
| Aveve | 1 |
| Decathlon | 1 |
| Delhaize | More than 10 |
| IKEA | More than 5 |
| Lidl | 61 |
| McDonald’s | More than 10 |
| Nissan | More than 10 |
| NMBS | More than 5 |
| Renault | More than 5 |
Tesla Superchargers
Tesla has set up a network of ultra-fast charging stations worldwide, including in Europe. These are the Superchargers, which are only suitable for Tesla vehicles. They can be found at 500 locations and together count about 5,500 charging points. Tesla owners can charge their car for free or pay per kWh, depending on the contract they have with the brand.
