Where can I charge my electric vehicle?

Home
68% of electric car owners charge their vehicles at home. Leaving home with a fully charged battery feels logical and is the best way to monitor your consumption.

Which charging station to choose, the cost of the installation and the energy contract are just a few examples of questions to be asked beforehand. The advantages, however, remain undeniable: ease of use and full availability.

Intelligent charging stations can even be programmed to charge vehicles at a time of day when the electrical grid is not saturated, thus avoiding peaks of consumption.

At work
Only 38% of electric vehicle owners have access to a charging station at their workplace. There is a wide variety of benefits for Fleet Managers and employers who want to invest in greener mobility. Below, you will discover several benefits awarded to companies that allow their employees and visitors to charge their vehicles during the day.

On the road
Of course, you can also charge an electric vehicle at a public location. This is the perfect solution for those who are often on the road for professional or private purposes. Shell Recharge Solutions currently has more than 250,000 public charging points in Europe, including > 12,000 publicly accessible charging points in Belgium (covering 99%). A network that is continuously expanded, so that all drivers of electric vehicles can hit the road with their minds at ease.

What are the benefits for your business?

Committing to the environment is something we all have a stake in. Consumers know this too and are sensitive to it. By installing electric charging stations at the workplace, you show your employees, partners, and customers that you are committed to environmental values. A gesture that will undoubtedly be appreciated by all parties.

Did you know that installing a charging station in your company also increases its visibility? Your name appears on online maps for those looking for charging stations in the area: As a company, you are therefore taking concrete action and are part of the solution.

In terms of financial benefits, companies that install public charging stations (which are freely accessible to third parties) can deduct 200% of their costs until December 31, 2022.

By reducing their CO2 emissions, they reduce carbon taxes and keep operating costs as low as possible, as it will always remain cheaper to charge an electric vehicle than to fill up with gasoline or diesel.
Never mind the benefits that come with the Network Fleet Card itself.

Lastly, our intelligent software collects a maximum of data on usage (traffic, hours of use, charging time, profiling). This information is very useful to support internal and external reporting. It also means added value for taking strategic marketing decisions or for attracting new customers, employees, or suppliers.

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

The time needed to charge a vehicle depends on the model and the maximum power of the vehicle but also on the power of the chosen charging station, the state of the battery and the cable used.

As a rule, the more powerful the terminal and the smaller the battery capacity, the faster the battery can be charged but in reality, the calculation is a little more complicated than that.

Charging capacity
Charging power is sometimes expressed in km/h or the number of kilometers that can be covered by charging for one hour at a given power level. Theoretically, there is about 15 km of range for 1 hour of charging at an ordinary household 2.4 kW outlet. On the other hand, a high-power fast charging station can provide several hundred kilometers for the same charging time.

AC vs. DC
Alternating current is the electricity that runs through the public distribution network. This electricity is used in normal charging stations or in household sockets.

Direct current, on the other hand, is used in fast and ultra-fast charging stations and is transferred directly to the vehicle’s battery (no need for conversion). The process is of course a bit more expensive but also a lot faster.

Battery status
It is much faster to charge a battery from 20% to 80% than from 0% to 100%.
Let’s use the Tesla Model 3 as an example:

Terminal power Charging battery
20% – 80% 0%  –  100%
1,8 kW 16h48 31h44
20 kW 1h30 2h37
250 kW 0h21 0h52

The added range when charging from 20% to 80% is 358 km out of a maximum of 448 km.

Benefits of smart charging

Smart charging stations are connected to the Internet and linked to remote management software and services.

They offer the possibility to check the status of the charging station and the progress of a charging session via a user interface or an online application. So, you suddenly know how fast you need to finish that coffee before you must go!

In addition, a connected charging station offers the possibility to link all kinds of ‘smart services’ to charging. For example, charging transactions for charging your company car can be invoiced directly to the employer on the one hand and reimbursed to the user or the owner on the other hand.

What are the benefits of an NFC card (Network Fleet Card)?

The Network Fleet Card is a card for companies that want to reduce their costs and CO2 emissions as well as simplify their mobility.

From public transportation, parking, toll roads, carwash to shared mobility, the card offers many more options than simply fueling and/or charging.

With the Network Fleet Card app, employees can find the nearest gas station or charging point in real time at any time. Thanks to partnerships with the networks of Shell, Q8, DATS24, LUKOIL and Esso, you can quickly find a station nearby and save time, money and kilometers!

In short: charge at home, at work or on the road, the options are numerous.

Five things to remember:
– One night on mains power at home is enough to drive 150 km/day. This covers the needs of most drivers.
– The cost for a company willing to install a charging station for its employees is significantly reduced by current subsidies.
– Installing charging stations attracts new customers, provides visibility, and shows commitment.
– The Network Fleet Card is valid throughout Europe and offers numerous opportunities to save time, money, and kilometers.
-The range of electric vehicles is no longer an obstacle!

Factoid!

NewMotion currently has more than 250,000 public charging points in Europe, both fast and standard of which >12,000 are publicly accessible charging points in Belgium (= 99% coverage).