There are three different types of electric cars. With a plug-in hybrid, the car is powered by a combustion engine in combination with an electric motor. An example of this is the Mitsubishi Outlander. In addition, you have the electric car E-REV, the Extended Range. Here the drive is fully electric, but a small-aid combustion engine is used for charging the battery, as is the case with the Opel Ampera and the BMW i3. The latter type is the fully electric car (BEV/FEV), which is fully powered by an electric motor and does not support a fuel engine, such as the Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf or Tesla.

A charging station ensures that you can charge up to 10x faster compared to a regular outlet. In addition, the additional security components in Pluginvest charging stations ensure that the charge is always safe and that the standard leak power protections in your home (differential) continue to work correctly.

A charging station also offers the possibility to measure your energy consumption separately and possibly pass it on to your employer. Pluginvest's smart charging stations can also control the power of charging according to the consumption of your home or production of your solar panels. All this is not possible through a regular outlet. Frequent use of this type of chargers is therefore not recommended by most car manufacturers and in international standards.

The price for the electricity you consume from a charging post depends on the type of charging post, the Charge Point Operator (CPO) and the Mobility Service Provider (MSP).

Types of charging points: 

1. Public charging points :Here the CPO determines the rate. On average, this amounts to €0.40/kWh (incl VAT) in Belgium.

2. Semi-public charging stations: For charging stations connected to a network connection to the building, the charge is often set by the customer and the owner of the loading pole. At Pluginvest, they determine the rate for the end customer. On average, this amounts to €0.20-€0.40/kWh (incl VAT) in Belgium.

3. Private charging point as a private person: no charge shall be made for this purpose. The extra electricity consumption simply comes on your electricity bill from your energy supplier and you pay the energy tariff according to your contract. On average, this amounts to €0.26/kWh (incl VAT) in Belgium.

4. Private charging point as an employee: you pay for the extra electricity consumption as an employee/private person via your energy supplier. Pluginvest can refund these costs to you as an employee through your employer as an expenses allowance. The average electricity tariff in Belgium is used for this purpose, which is reviewed annually. 

Bij publieke en semi-publieke laadpalen worden de tarieven soms vermeerderd met een marge die de CPO en/of MSP op deze tarieven hanteren. Een marge van 10% is hierbij niet ongebruikelijk in de sector. Pluginvest hanteert hierbij een transparante prijszetting zonder een extra marges op de tarieven die door zijn klanten of partner-netwerken worden bepaald. Zo houden we het tarief voor de eindgebruiker laag en versnellen we de transitie naar elektrische mobiliteit.

 The market for electric mobility consists of several parties. There is the Charge Point Operator (CPO) and the Mobility Service Provider (MSP). The CPO provides the delivery of the charging points, the installation and the maintenance of the charging points. The MSP sells mobility products and services via the loading pass or token. In most cases, this is a subscription to the charge, the corresponding charge card and/or the app and the payment of your loading sessions.

Pluginvest is active as CPO and MSP.

Despite high electricity prices and high oil prices, electric cars are still cheaper to use than their traditional counterparts. Electricity tariffs in Belgium vary widely from location to location. Individuals pay around €0.26/kWh. Companies with medium voltage connections pay around €0.12/kWh. Public charging posts charge an average of €0.40/kWh.

 Example: Let's take an example of an electric car with an empty battery and 12 kWh power. In most cases, this car will be able to run between 60 and 80 km on a single load. In this case, charging at home will cost 12 x 0.26 = € 3.12. This means that the electricity consumption per km is only € 0.03 to € 0.04. For companies it will be (a lot) cheaper, public loading is more expensive

The average cost of 100km of electric driving is between €2.5 and €8, depending on whether you start charging at work, home or audience. Home charging costs an average of €5 per 100km. Compared to petrol or diesel, you thus make a nice saving on consumption, since in practice 90% is charged at home or at work.

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You can also charge your car through a regular outlet. However, the disadvantages are:

- Slow and only suitable for small battery plug-in hybrids

- Less safe because of the risk of fire 

- No separate measurement or settlement possible

At Pluginvest, the charging rates  are always determined by the owner or customer of the charging station. The customer determines it according to his own electricity tariff, the market prices for semi-public or public charging and his investment in the charging infrastructure. As a customer, you have a free choice in this. Pluginvest does recommend keeping these rates low in order to accelerate the transition to electric mobility and to offer as many people as possible the opportunity to come and charge you. The market price for semi-public loading is on average € 0.40/kWh (incl VAT).

Pluginvest's offer includes technical audit, installation works, loading bay and the (obligatory) AREI verification afterwards. In 80% of the home installations the entire installation works are already included in the basic package. This includes 10m cabling, 1 wall penetrations and addition of a vending machine and differential protection to the fuse box. The confirmation that all works are included in this, you get after the execution of the technical audit. In many cases, this can also be done from a distance. Any additional works usually include additional cable length and are charged via fixed line tariffs per running meter. Your agreement is asked in advance for this.

You can load with the so-called type 2 plug, also called the 'Mennekes plug'. Type 2 is the standard plug in Europe, which works according to the mode 3 communication protocol. The Type 2 plug is both usable for loading with 230 and 400 Volt. Unlike the house-garden-and-kitchen plug (schuko), this plug is also suitable for charging at higher power levels up to 32A or 22kW and the fashion 3 protocol.

The type 2 cable is the European standard. Each charging point is equipped with a type 2 socket. Some older cars have a type 1 outlet, the older Japanese standard. That is no problem because for them there are cables with a type 2 outlet on one side and a type 1 on the other side. For new cars with a type 2 outlet, a T2-T2 cable is sufficient.

The minimum load capacity of the charging pole is 3.7kW. Depending on how fast your car can load, how full your battery is and the choice you may make in this can reach 22kW. 

Regular charging stations operate on alternating voltage (AC). The power varies from 3.7kW, 7.4kW, 11kW to 22 kW. The maximum loading speed is also determined by the wagon. On average you can calculate that you can drive 5 km further per kW after 1 hours of loading.

VB: 11 kW per hour charged x 5km/kW during 1 hours = 55 km extra charged

With expansion

The duration depends on several variables, such as the battery status, battery power and the power and the setting of the charging post. Plug-in Hybrid cars take 1 to 4 hours to fully charge the battery. Fully electric cars have to charge 4 to 8 hours.

Auto-s are on average about 14 hours at home and 8 hours at work. If you have access to a loading pole at home and at work, there is plenty of time to fully charge your car.

With a regular outlet:

Be warned if you charge your electric car to a regular outlet. You'll need a special charging cable. I.e. one that can prevent short-circuit and overheating. Also, the outlet must be located close to your car. Never use an extension cord when charging your car!

 

With a charging station: 

This is the most recommended charging method. It is safe and responsible and you use the power of your car and your energy source (at home or at a company premises) efficiently. A charging station charges up to 10 times faster than a regular socket. This means that all electric cars can be fully charged after 1 to 6 hours.

The exact duration of loading depends on where you live, the status and power of your car battery, the outside temperature, the weight of your car, the loading accessories you use and your personal driving style.

Charging the first 80% of the battery is done at maximum power. The last 20% of the battery is charged via so-called 'trickle charging' or 'drip charging' which takes longer. This method preserves the quality of the battery and ensures that it lasts as long as possible.

With a fast charger:

Fast chargers are usually found outside the cities and along the highways. Due to the relatively high cost of the hardware itself and the installation, such charging stations are almost exclusively purchased and installed in publicly accessible places. Although a fast charger charges very fast (20-30 minutes), it can charge your electric car up to only 80%. After that, recharging must be slow in order not to damage the battery.

Do you want to know the exact loading time of a type of loading pole and/or car? Then click below, choose a car and see the specifications!

Our delivery period is 6 to 8 weeks. However, we are always trying to complete the installation for the delivery of the car. If necessary, we can also deliver faster from stock and we can schedule the date of the installation at your place this week so that we can install it within 2 to 3 weeks.

2 working days. We always have a stock of Smart Cables that can be delivered by mail to your home.

If the charging station and the solar panels are connected to the same grid connection (= same electricity meter of the grid operator), the energy produced is always charged. Through our Smart Home solution, we can also measure the production of these solar panels and the consumption of the home (heat pump, light, hob, etc.) in real time so that the power of the charging pole is controlled in function of the available energy. In this way, we can also use the locally produced solar energy to the maximum extent to recharge the car's batteries and the energy produced is also used locally.

Note: It is not the case that the battery is only charged when the sun is shining. Even at night, the battery can still be recharged. This can be arranged via software to preferably only charge the car when the sun is shining. With grid connections with a 'backturning' counter or the application of the reversal principle in digital counters, you will continue to enjoy the financial advantage of your own solar energy.

In addition to the installation of charging stations, Pluginvest can also provide the services to deal monthly with the expenses for the energy consumption of workers charging at home. For this, the energy meter in the charging station is read by our online platform remotely. Energy consumption is invoiced monthly at the average energy rate per region to the employer and reimbursed to the employee by direct debit. Both the fleet manager and employee can always consult the fee statements online.

You can log in via our website (www.pluginvest.eu -> log-in). Here you see real time consumption at your own charging points and via the monthly reporting what has been consumed at other charging points.

You can also use the same log-in on the ChargePoint or Load Pole app from LastMileSolutions. You can also see where you can charge and what the previous transactions were. However, we do not get real-time data from all public charging stations, so sometimes there are delays

The percentage of ordinary investment deductions has been temporarily increased from 8% to 25% for ordinary investments by self-employed persons (natural persons) and small companies (Article 1:24 of the CRR). This increase applies to fixed assets acquired or created during the period from 12 March 2020 to 31 December 2020 (Coronawet III of 15 July 2020, B.S. 23 July 2020).

Draft Program Act, Chamber DOC 55-1662/001 announces that this measure will be extended "for two years".

The announcement of the  2-year extension is good news. This will save many entrepreneurs the trouble to make hasty investments by the end of this calendar year 2020.

You can also do this yourself via our platform. If you do not check the option 'Use loading dock via roaming partners' when activating your pass during activation (data -> Cards -> Add Charge Card), you can only use it on your own loading pole and there are no charges.

You can also link a charge card to a Employees account (Employee -> Select Employee -> Cards -> Add Laad Pass).

Via our live map on the platform or via our app you can find charging stations, navigate there and check the live status of the station.

Yes, this is possible if you activate the interoperability option. With interoperability you can use loading stations from different operators at home and abroad. Please note, however, that not enough public loading stations are yet available in all countries.

So before you travel, check where you can charge your car abroad. You can use the ChargePoint app or loading pole app from LastMileSolutions app. Through this application you will find all charging stations at home and abroad to which you can load your car.

Power is expressed in kW. Consumption is expressed in kWh. A charging pole that delivers 22 kW for one hour will therefore provide a consumption of 22 kWh.

You can also compare this to a water tap. The power (kW) is then expressed in the flow of water flowing from the tap. Consumption (kWh) is the number of liters that have already been fused by the tap during a certain period.

Voltage is expressed in Volt. Current in ampere. Power in kilowatts. To understand these terms, you can compare this to a water tap. The power (kW) is then expressed in the flow of water flowing from the tap. To obtain this flow rate you can both increase the pressure of the water and increase the size of the tap opening. Both with a small tap and high pressure and a large tap with low pressure you can obtain the same flow rate. The pressure can be compared to the voltage (Volt). The size of the tap with the current (amperes). The current also determines the thickness of the power cables.

There are 4 types of AC charging stations; 3.7kW - 7.6kW - 11kW - 22kW. We obtain these values by multiplying the voltage (Volt or V) with the available current (Ampere or A). The tension depends on the number of phases available in your home or company.

Example:

1-phase 3.700W = 230V x 16A

1-phase 7.400kW = 230V x 32A

3-phase 11.000W = 400V x 16A x 1,73

3-phase 22.000W = 400V x 32A x 1,73

You can check the type of grid connection in 3 ways:

Option A: based on the meter and fuse box. The number of connected phases (2, 3 or 4) in the meter cabinet and the width and type of the machine in the meter cabinet are examined. See also photos below:

Yes, the electrical assessment according to the AREI (General Regulation on Electrical Installations) is mandatory in Belgium when installing a charging station. Pluginvest also takes care of this inspection for you, via an indepenDENT third party. We also provide the electrical diagram and the technical documentation. The price of this is already included in our offer.

What if the rest of the electrical installation in the house does not meet the standards?

Only the installation of the charging station shall be assessed as an extension. This means that not the entire installation will be re-checked and any infringements will not be a problem. The grounding and insulation resistance of the entire installation are checked by the inspector owv the safety. These must therefore be in order or be put in order by the customer. Pluginvest also makes a separate scheme of the extension so that it is not a problem that you do not have schedules of your entire installation.

Can a positive inspection be delivered for the installation of the charging station?

Yes, this can be done provided the above conditions are met.

What if that is not the case, is it impossible to set up a loading station?

Yes, it is a possibility 

Yes, since the change in the law, you don't need explicit permission from the general assembly. However, you should report this and await any objections.

The right procedure must be followed, the VME can oppose it, but only on duly justified grounds.

An important provision is that those who make the adjustments also retain ownership of them. If defects or safety problems occur later, they can have financial consequences.