Dutch fast charging company Fastnet on Wednesday opened two fast charging stations for electric cars with the E19 between Antwerp and Brussels. Fastant previously set up a fast charging station at Ostend Airport.
The new charging stations are located on both sides of the E19, in highway car parks in Beauty. These are the first two of thirteen locations in total, and Fastnet was approved in 2019 by the Flemish Agency for Roads and Transport (AWV).
Fastnet uses solar and wind power for its fast charging stations. The company said that motorists with electric cars with a driving range of up to 300 kilometers can charge electricity quickly in 15 minutes. Fastnet costs 59 cents per kilowatt hour without charging and 35 cents per kilowatt hour with subscription.
Fastnet’s fast charging stations are subsidized by the Benefit plan. It is a collaboration between the Dutch, Flemish and Brussels governments to expedite the construction of eco-friendly vehicles and ships with European resources.
“Cooperation with AWV and BENEFIC is a great example of how the government can help realize the cost of infrastructure by making locations available on the highway,” says Michael Langesall, CEO of Fastnet. “We are very pleased to have the first two sites on the Flemish Highway operation now.”
Up to 35,000 charging stations
The Flemish government plans to have about 35,000 charging stations in Flanders by 2025, in line with the European target of one public charging station for ten electric cars. “By charging infrastructure on our highways, we are stimulating the greening of road traffic and giving drivers of electric cars the confidence that they can always ‘refuel’ nearby,” says Lydia Peters (Open Vld), Minister of Mobility.
On Tuesday, Fastnet announced that it had offered ten additional spaces for motor charging inlets and fast charging stations at exits in Flanders. By the end of June, the company had already announced a partnership with West Flemish Interim Service to realize five large fast charging stations in commercial parks.
Fastnet has grown into a European player. Since its inception in 2012, the company has built 145 fast charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland. In addition, Fastnet will begin building the first high-speed charging stations on major highways in France this year, for which it won a tender last year.
