Flagship electric vehicle charging station opens on E17 motorway
A major new electric vehicle charging site has opened along the E17 motorway in East Flanders. The service area combines 16 fast chargers for cars and four for lorries, with facilities including shops, toilets, showers and a playground.
Gentbrugge is the first service area in Flanders without a fossil fuel station. While motorway parking areas usually have fuel pumps alongside charging points, this site is focused entirely on electric mobility.
According to operator Fastned, it is the largest service station for charging infrastructure in Europe. Country director Matthias Pletinckx calls the project “the first of its kind, unique in Belgium and Europe”.
While only 5 per cent of Belgian cars are currently electric, this share is expected to rise to 25 per cent by 2030.
The infrastructure is designed to allow drivers to recharge not only their cars but also themselves. A short stop of 10-20 minutes means drivers can exercise, have a quick meal, let children play or walk the dog.
"Fastned Gentbrugge is a blueprint for how rest areas should look whether in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels"
"Fastned Gentbrugge is a proud flagship for our network in Belgium, bringing us close to 50 stations across the nation - and serving as a blueprint for how rest areas should look whether in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels," Pletinckx said in a press release.
The construction includes circular building materials, a green roof that collects rainwater and an underground water purification system. The site, formerly a car park, has been redesigned with trees and plants.
Gentbrugge is the 47th Fastned station in Belgium. The company has more than 380 stations in nine countries and expects to reach 50 Belgian sites by the end of the year.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTOS FASTNED
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