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They are very popular for their bikes, but no other European country has electric car charging stations like the Netherlands, especially as global warming is caused by rising sea levels.
At every street corner, Tesla, Volvo and other vehicles are plugged into one terminal, thanks to a network of some 75,000 charging stations, or a third of the total in the EU.
The Netherlands needs one
Installing four charging stations in the basement of his house in downtown Rotterdam led Nieken Berksma to buy an electric car. “Contributing to environmental protection”.
Finding the right recharge rate for her travels was a headache, but today this 37-year-old student tells herself “very happy” For the fall.
One in about five new cars in the Netherlands is fully electric, which has invested in this model of sustainable transport with bonuses and tax incentives this decade.
Because one-third of its land area is below sea level, the country knows it is vulnerable to global warming, which is growing faster than feared by UN experts (IPCC) this week, according to a shocking report.
The government aims to make road traffic responsible for one-fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions sold in the Netherlands from 2030 onwards.
This country is one of the largest polluters in Europe, mainly due to industry and agriculture, with more individual cars than France, Greece or Sweden.
After a historic practice led by NGOs, The Hague was forced to reduce CO2 emissions by 49% by 2030 compared to 1990.
190,000 private charging stations
Fully loaded, Ningke Berksma’s car, a Volvo, can travel a distance of 400 kilometers, a distance that this environmental and natural science student cannot cover at once.
Short distance and quality of road network “Encourage people to engage in electric driving”, Observes Morton von Beeson, co-director of the Electric Driving Association (VER).
He told AFP that 20 to 21% of the 400,000 new cars sold last year were fully electric. The hack began “very early” to promote this mode of transport, in 2012, even before Paris or Berlin, he analyzes.
In addition to the 75,000 public charging stations, 190,000 Dutch citizens have their own terminal at home.
Nearly 30% of charging points in Europe are located in the Netherlands. France and Germany, the largest countries, finish in the top 3, both with about 20% European terminals.
Half of the public charging stations are located in the provinces of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, which account for one-third of the total population.
In most provinces, the management of terminals is assigned a privilege that makes their use easier: all you have to do is scan a card at one of the terminals, all of which is compatible.
Lots, but not enough yet
In the city, an electric car user has the right to a charging station within 200 meters of his home. In rural areas, motorists own a terminal at home, with 75% of them charging electricity from their own solar panels.
Conventional terminals allow “Fill” At night, or in a few hours. Fast terminals, especially those installed at rest areas of the motorway, are capable of recharging in as little as thirty minutes.
But despite all that, there are still not enough terminals in Rotterdam, estimates Nyenge Berksma, who charges his car every four nights.
Except for emergencies, at 6:00 pm, she sometimes wanders around for fifteen minutes to find a free place.
His advice: Do not drain the battery completely “Don’t go anywhere”.
The municipality has made progress by installing more terminals, but the student estimates that this is not enough. “Frustrated”, She pointed to an unusable terminal blocked by a gardener.
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