The Council of State has ruled in favor of Fastned in a lawsuit about the installation of charging stations. A roadside restaurant received permission from the government for exclusive placement of charging points, but according to the Council of State that is not the intention.
In 2012, Fastned was able to obtain permits from the Dutch government during an allocation procedure for the installation of charging stations at rest areas along the motorways. Since then, charging stations have been built in various places, but the operator ran into a conflict at the Den Ruygen Hoek-Oost car park (A4 near Schiphol). There, a roadside restaurant wanted to install six charging stations itself and this received exclusive permission from the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management. According to Fastned, that would go against the permits that Fastned holds.
The Supreme Court has now ruled in favor of Fastned. The roadside restaurant cannot just take an exclusive position with its charging points. This means that there must also be space for, for example, Fastned to place a charging station there. Fastned is of course pleased with this statement: “We are very pleased that the Council of State has followed our reasoning in this case. The decision provides a more solid basis for investments and creates a level and competitive playing field that can accelerate the roll-out of charging infrastructure. That is good for the transition to electric mobility “, says CEO Michiel Langezaal.