Around half a million cars are on the roads in Brussels every day. By 2035 all of these vehicles will need to be powered by electric motors. But is the capital really ready for this switch to electric?
The Brussels Environment Agency forecasts some 495,000 electric vehicles will be out and about on Brussels’ roads by 2035 – a figure that includes commuters. All these EVs will need charging too. To achieve this goal, the Brussels region is counting on various forms of charging: private charging points at residents' homes, charging points at people’s work or on the street.
Residents who purchase and install a charging station at home will enjoy a 15 per cent discount until the end of 2024, which you will receive when your personal income tax is due. Companies too receive an allowance for the installation of semi-public charging stations.
Still, according to the Brussels Environment Agency, more than half of all charging sessions will in future happen on our streets. The Brussels region is preparing for the installation of 22,000 street charging points by 2035. That’s four times today’s number.
To achieve this goal Brussels will need to step up a gear, if it wants to provide sufficient public charging infrastructure. As many as 9,500 charging points will be needed by 2025 and the counter today stands at 5,238. However, the Region does plan 600 additional charging stations this year, accounting for 1,200 new charging points.
The solution seems simple: to install more charging points quickly. But that risks saturating the network, while too slow a rollout will make charging stations too unprofitable.
An aging grid
Potentially, Brussels' aging electricity grid could also cause problems. The grid largely operates on a voltage of 230 volts. That, in principle, is enough to charge an electric car in 30 to 60 minutes and make it ready for a 20-kilometre trip, the average daily journey of a Brussels resident.
However, the grid voltage becomes problematic when all electric vehicles are charged at the same time after a working day, especially if that charging demand coincides with the usual peak of household consumption.
Until 2030, peaks like that should not cause any major problems. According to network operator Sibelga, the Brussels electricity grid will be capable of handling 20 to 30 per cent of the vehicle fleet becoming electric by then.
‘Smart charging’ is the answer
After 2030, it will be important to put full effort into ‘smart charging’. This can be achieved by charging your vehicle when your solar panels are producing electricity or by spreading out the available charging power among the various vehicles in a company car park.
In addition, Sibelga is also counting on technological progress. The autonomy of electric cars is improving, making them less likely to need to be plugged in. Moreover, electric vehicles could eventually serve as home batteries, storing excess self-generated energy and releasing it to the grid when the need arises elsewhere.
Finally, Sibelga is also advocating dynamic tariffs, which should encourage consumers to use electricity when enough is available.