In four years’ time there should be ten times as many charging points in parking garages for electric cars than there is now. By 2025, an average of one in twenty places (5 percent) in parking garages must have a charging station. By 2030 there must be one in ten parking spaces. State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven (Infrastructure) and Vexpan, an association for parking, will make agreements about this on Thursday.
The number of electric cars is growing faster and faster. In 2020, almost a quarter of all passenger cars sold new in the Netherlands were electric. Currently, however, there are no options for charging electric cars in two-thirds of the approximately 400 parking garages (with around 450 parking spaces). This must change quickly, which is why the government, in collaboration with Vexpan, wants to focus on a significant increase in the number of charging points in parking garages in the coming years.
Vexpan – to which 120 garage owners, municipalities and industry parties are affiliated – investigated what is needed to meet the need for this. According to the platform, it is necessary to place the charging points as smartly as possible, because electric cars pose different risks than petrol cars. For example, it is necessary to think about how a parking garage is prepared for a fire in an electric car. The fire service already issued advice on this last year.
Van Veldhoven calls the agreements a good step. “If you are on the road by car, parking in a parking garage is often a good option. How nice is it if you can easily store your car and the battery is full again after your appointment. With these agreements, that comes a step closer. That provides security and comfort. ” André Wielaard, chairman of Vexpan: “We will actively work together to share knowledge and to remove obstacles, so that the parties involved can implement this as well and efficiently as possible. In doing so, we also support the efforts of many municipalities to reduce the number of parking spaces on the street and make more use of garage parking. “