Brussels Region has commissioned Sibelga, operator of the regional electricity and gas distribution network, to coordinate the installation of 1,200 additional electric vehicle charging points in the capital next year.
Sixty of these points will be for the car-sharing network, Brussels Energy and Climate Transition Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo) announced to the media on Wednesday.
The minister was accompanied by Sibelga CEO Inne Mertens and the director of the Cambio Brussels car-sharing network, Frédéric Van Malleghem.
In 2021, the Government of Brussels decided to phase out combustion engines by 2035 in order to meet the region’s climate targets, and also for public health reasons, since air pollution is responsible for some 110 premature deaths in Brussels every year .
Against this backdrop, the regional executive programmed the accelerated development of a network of charging stations, setting itself the target of 22,000 on- and off-street charging points by 2035.
According to Sibelga's Inne Mertens, there were only 400 EV charging points in Brussels in 2021, but by January next, there will be 2,500, one within 150 metres of every inhabitant of the capital. The 4,000-mark will be reached by the end of 2024.
Four potential dealers are in the running to install the 1,200 charging points next year. According to Alain Maron, these will be powered exclusively by renewable energy.
The organisation of the public contracts for this accelerated installation of EV charging points is being coordinated by Sibelga, in partnership with Brussels Environment, Brussels Mobility and local authorities.
For his part, the director of Cambio Brussels, Frédéric Van Malleghem, announced the deployment of 120 shared electric vehicles thanks to Cambio’s 60 dedicated electric charging points.
This, he said, represents a great opportunity for residents of the capital to “commit to the adoption of electric vehicles,” bearing in mind that each Cambio car is used on average by 35 households.
