Electric Vehicle Charging Expands to Shopping Centers, Addressing Grid Concerns โ& Price Competition
EDE,โ Netherlands โค- Dutch consumersโค will soon have more options for quickly charging their electric vehicles, โฃas charging companies expand โขfast-charging โinfrastructure to shopping centers and supermarkets. This move, already common inโค France and Belgium, marks โa shift in the Netherlands, wich initially focused โon widespread,โ slower charging points. Allego currently operates fast chargers in Amsterdam, Ede, and Rosmalen, with Albert heijn, Jumbo, and โคPlus supermarketsโ planning significant expansions in the coming years.
While โขthe Netherlands was an early adopter โof EV โขcharging infrastructure, the advancement of fast chargers lagged. The country’s existing network of slower charging posts predates the technology. Now, โฃoperators like Allego are partnering with major retailers – including French โขchain Carrefour – to offer convenient, rapid โคcharging โsolutions. This โคexpansion comes asโ grid capacity becomes a growing concern with the increasing adoption of electric vehicles.
A key strategy toโ mitigateโค grid strain involvesโ pairing fastโข chargers withโ on-site battery storage.โ these batteriesโ can buffer electricity demand, โขreducing theโข load on the grid โduring peak times and storing surplus energy for later use.
“Fast chargers are more efficient, because โฃmany more people can use it daily because the loading time โขis relativelyโ short,” explains Jules Sommer, General Director of Allego Nederland.
Currently,fast charging tends to be more expensive than slowerโข residential charging. Tho,increased competition within the โฃfast-charging market is expected to drive down โprices,aโ factorโค becoming increasingly crucial as more private vehicle owners – unlike those with company cars who benefit from employer-provided charging โ- directly bear the โขcost โฃof electricity.