Fastned opens first two fast charging stations along Flemish highways
Fastned, the European fast charging company opens today its first two fast charging stations along the highway in Flanders. These stations are part of a collaboration with the Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer (AWV) to provide thirteen rest areas along highways in Flanders with fast charging stations. These first two fast charging stations are located on both sides of the E19 at the rest areas Peutie Oost and West between Antwerp and Brussels. Here, electric drivers can charge up to 300 km of range with power from sun and wind in just 15 minutes. The stations will be officially opened today by the Flemish Minister of Mobility, Lydia Peeters and Michiel Langezaal, CEO Fastned.
Fastned's mission is to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility by giving freedom to electric drivers. Fastned does so by building fast charging stations where electric cars can charge super fast. Since its foundation in 2012, Fastned has built 145 fast charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland. In addition, Fastned will start building the first fast charging stations along major highways in France later this year, for which it won a tender in 2020. Last week Fastned also announced a collaboration with the West Flemish Intercommunale for the realisation of five charging stations along main roads in West Flanders.
The fast charging stations that will be opened today are the first two of a total of thirteen locations which were made available to Fastned by the Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer (AWV) in 2019. Several stations from this program are currently under construction. The charging stations are in line with AWV's mission to support the realisation of high-quality charging infrastructure along major highways in Flanders and are crucial to supply electricity to the rapidly growing number of electric vehicles in the country. In the first 6 months of 2021, 22,500 new electric cars were registered in Belgium, an increase of 57% compared to the same period last year (14,300).
“In Flanders, the ambitions for electric driving are high. That is why I foresee to provide 35,000 charging stations by 2025, which is perfectly in line with the European objective, namely 1 public charging station per 10 electric cars. With the development of charging infrastructure along our highways, we are stimulating the greening of road transport and giving drivers of electric cars the confidence to always be able to 'refuel' nearby. Shoulder to shoulder with Europe, we are working with BENEFIC in Flanders on the mobility of tomorrow."
“Obtaining good locations is crucial for the construction of high-quality charging infrastructure. The collaboration with AWV and BENEFIC is a great example of how the government can help with the realisation of charging infrastructure by making locations available directly along the highway. We are very pleased that we now have the first two locations operational along the Flemish highway. With the growing European network, we are making it increasingly easy for people to switch to an electric car.”
Charging at Fastned costs 59 cents per kilowatt hour (incl. VAT) and 35 cents per kilowatt hour with a subscription. Electric drivers can pay in various ways, including credit cards, debit cards, charging cards and via the Fastned App.
BENEFIC
This project was made possible thanks to the support of the BENEFIC project which is part of the European program "Connecting Europe Facility", financed by the European Commission.
Fastned has been developing fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles across Europe since 2012. Fastned’s mission is to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility by giving freedom to electric drivers. Based in Amsterdam, the company has built 145 fast charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland. Fastned is working on the expansion into France. The company specialises in developing and operating fast charging infrastructure where drivers can charge their electric vehicle with up to 300 km of range in 15 minutes before continuing their journey. Fastned is listed on Euronext Amsterdam (ticker AMS: FAST).