The city of Antwerp has designated five additional locations where where several electric cars can be charged quickly at the same time.
Earlier this year, two locations had already been designated at the Singel. Now more will be installed at P+R Schoonselhof, P+R Olympiade, Parking Noorderlaan, BluePoint conference centre in Berchem, and the intersection of Krijgsbaan and Prins Boudewijnlaan in Wilrijk.
The seven fast-charging stations will together accommodate 29 fast-charging poles, i.e. 58 charging points. They will be operational by the end of this year at the earliest.
The charging points are part of a concession agreement with TotalEnergies, which is currently responsible for expanding the public charging infrastructure in the city of Antwerp.
The Antwerp City Council says it is committed to both 'normal' charging and fast charging. Charging at normal speed is done according to the pole follows car or '''pole follows pole' principle. This means that charging is done on demand, and the charging capacity already present in the area is considered first.
Public fast charging is what the city prefers to see happen in places along major connecting roads, where users can quickly charge their vehicles without creating extra traffic within neighbourhoods. In turn, the city leaves slow charging to private suppliers.
"Electric driving is on the rise, but public space is a scarce commodity, and we treat it with care," says Alderman for Mobility Koen Kennis (N-VA). "That's why we choose fast-charging squares: the right infrastructure in the right place."
Antwerp currently has 1,027 regular public charging points and 20 fast-charging points.
