LeasePlan’s EV expert presents
 

How can I charge my electric car?

The battery is the beating heart of your electric car, so you had better take good care of it. When drivers fill up their cars with petrol or diesel, they usually think: "The fuller, the better." This is a little different for electric vehicles,

as lithium batteries will last longer if you keep them charged between 20% and 80%. While a full charge is not ideal, it is not a disaster – as long as you do not leave your EV parked after a full charge for too long. Letting your car battery drain completely is not a great idea, either. If this does happen, it is important to charge your car again as soon as possible.

 

Where can I charge my electric vehicle?

There are different ways of charging an electric vehicle. This will depend on where you are. You can charge your vehicle at work or at home. You can also charge it on the go in Belgium or abroad.

You can meet 90% of your drivers' charging needs by offering them chargers at home and at work. Most people give their cars a full charge overnight. There are already more than 150,000 public charging stations in Europe and this number is increasing rapidly.

LeasePlan can help you find the perfect solution for charging your electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid and can provide the charging solutions you need. At home, on the go and at work.

We also look at the settlement of the costs between the employer and the employee. The investment in the charging point, the electricity and the charge card will depend on the situation and can be included in the lease price. This means that you will receive just one invoice and you are always guaranteed a cost-effective and practical solution. You will also have a single point of contact for everything to do with electric vehicles.

1 - Home charging

If you want to start charging at home, we will be happy to get you moving. When can a charging point be installed at your home? How can you request one? And what are the costs of charging at home?

Requesting and installing your own charging station can be quite a daunting task. We can help you arrange this.

The different situations to charge at home

  1.  
    You own a home with parking space on the premises

    In that case, arranging a private charging point is generally not a problem. We will look at the technical specifications with you when you apply.

  2.  
    You own a home with an association of co-owners

    In that case, the process involves several parties: the association of co-owners and the building manager. It may also be necessary to provide additional facilities in the building's garage to enable data exchange with the charging point.

  3.  
    You rent a home with parking space on the premises

    In that case, the process involves several parties: the association of co-owners, the building manager, the property owner and the tenant. You will need permission from both the property owner and the association of co-owners to install a charging station. This means you need take into account a longer lead time. The supplier will always visit the site. It may also be necessary to provide additional facilities in the building's garage to enable data exchange with the charging point.

  4.  
    You own or rent a home without a private parking space on the premises

    In most cases, you can charge at a public charging point near your home.

EV charging options

Type
Type
Type
Type
Type of recharging solution
Type of recharging solution
Type of recharging solution
Type of recharging solution
Used for
Used for
Used for
Used for
Reimbursement
Reimbursement
Reimbursement
Reimbursement
Included
Included
Included
Included
Price (ex. VAT)
€ 2.535
€ 2.535
€ 2.535

*Dynamic Load Balancing ensures optimal energy distribution on the network, in order that overloading does not occur and the vehicle can always be charged optimally.

2 - Charging at work

Charging your electric car at work has many advantages. For example, the electricity price is often lower than at home or on the go, and it is convenient for the driver to charge the car at work when it is parked anyway.

If you want to provide a charging solution at work, we will be happy to get you moving. When is it possible to install a charging point on your company site? How can you request one? And what does it mean in practical terms? We can help you arrange this.

3 - Public charging points

If you want to charge your electric car or plug-in hybrid on the go, you can use public charging points. You will need a charge card for this. We offer the Shell charge card, which can be used at home, at work and at public charging stations.

Your charge card gives you access to an extensive network of public charging points in Europe. There are currently more than 150,000 public charging stations in Europe, more than 8,000 of which are located in Belgium. You'll always find a charging station near you.

The charge card can be used with a mobile app for Android and Apple phones. The Shell Recharge app shows where the available charging points are, allows you to start and stop charging sessions and much more.

How does a public charging station work?

Prices vary depending on the charging point. Depending on the charging station operator, prices can be based on:

  • 1.
  • 2.
  • 3.

Important: LeasePlan does not set the prices of public charging stations. The prices are set by the operators themselves.

Finding a public charging point

This interactive map shows you all the electric charging stations in Belgium with details on the connector type, charging speed, rates and payment methods. Simply click on each station icon for more information.

If the icon is green, the charging station is available. If it is red, it is busy or out of use. Grey means that we do not have up-to-date information on this charging station.

4 - Rapid chargers

If you have not been able to charge your car (sufficiently) at work or at home, you may need to quickly charge your car on the go. You can do this at various rapid charging stations along the motorway.

Rapid charging is very similar to normal charging. As the name suggests, they simply work faster. A major difference with normal charging is the use of direct current (DC). With DC power, the charging station can charge the battery directly. This allows much higher charging speeds than alternating current.

The main features of rapid charging are:

Tesla Superchargers are the best-known example of rapid chargers. If you are driving a Tesla, you can use Tesla's vast Supercharger network throughout Europe. The car's navigation system will automatically find the charging points on your route. You do not need a charge card to charge at Tesla charging stations. Everything will be done automatically via your Tesla account. Do bear in mind that the costs will be charged to your Tesla account (and the associated payment method).

Other electric cars can use the IONITY network, a European charging network of over 300 ultra-rapid chargers that allow long distances to be travelled within Europe.

5 - Charging abroad

If you are driving your electric car abroad, we recommend that you keep up to date with the country's charging infrastructure. Make sure your itinerary includes the necessary stops to recharge your car. In addition to the car's own navigation system, there are many different apps that can help you to get to your destination abroad in your electric car. An example is A Better Route Planner .

Charging an electric car abroad is exactly the same as at public charging points in Belgium. You do need to talk to your employer in advance to know who will cover the charging costs abroad.

Combine an electric vehicle with driving holidays: use a Holiday Car for complete peace of mind.

One of the main concerns (potential) drivers of electric vehicles have is their annual driving holiday. Of course, with some planning, it is perfectly feasible to travel to Southern Europe in an electric car. LeasePlan offer customers who want to go on hassle-free road trips peace of mind with its new service: Holiday Car.

Learn more about Holiday Car

Want to know more? We’re here to help!

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