Supermarkets to phase out free electric car charging points
Supermarkets will soon stop offering free charging points for their customers’ electric cars, Het Belang van Limburg reports on Thursday, because it has become too expensive.
“We are going to switch to a paying system,” a spokesperson for supermarket chain Lidl told the newspaper. “There’s no date set yet, but it won’t be long. It’s not sustainable or affordable to offer free charging, especially due to last winter’s high energy prices. However, our customers will still get a preferential rate at the paid charging stations.”
Lidl was a pioneer in providing free charging, with the 100th Belgian store fitted with a recharge station in 2021. Each store had capacity for two cars.
"It’s not sustainable or affordable to offer free charging, especially due to last winter’s high energy prices"
Delhaize and Ikea also plan to start charging a fee in the future. Shoppers at Colruyt and Jumbo already have to pay for charging stations.
According to EV Belgium, the Belgian electric mobility sector federation, the stations are no longer affordable because so many drivers in Belgium are choosing electric cars. The 100,000 mark was exceeded in February.
© DENIS CHARLET / AFP
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