Charging

Charging time can vary greatly from one electric vehicle to another. The time depends, among other things, on the charging power (in kilowatts), the size of the battery and the starting and target charging levels. For example, consider an electric vehicle with a battery capacity of 60 kWh and a charge point with a charging capacity of 7.4 kW. In this case, it will take 7 hours and 12 minutes to go from 0% to 80%. Using a 50 kW fast charger takes 1 hour and 3 minutes to go from 0% to 80%. Quite a difference.

With more and more cars, it is becoming possible to feed back electricity. This is called bidirectional or two-way charging. Normally, electricity flows TO your car. So with two-way charging, it can also be the other way around: power from your car can go into your home. This turns your car into a 'home battery'. The ANWB has published an interesting article about this. Good to know: the charging point has to be able to transfer the power from your car to your home. This development is still in its early stages. That makes these charging points very pricey

Our charging station partner advises whether a charging station can be added to your meter box or whether an amplification for this may be necessary. The charging station package we offer includes “home load balancing”. This installation in the meter box divides the power distribution as efficiently as possible. For example, the meter box will only provide power to the car (at full power) when you have finished cooking with electric power. This prevents peak loads. Would you like to know more? Our charging point partner will tell you all about it.

Do you have solar panels? If so, you’re probably familiar with the term “feed-in”. With solar panels, you deliver the part you don't use back to your energy supplier. You’ll see this reflected on your final bill under “balancing”. The government has decided to phase out balancing over the next few years. The energy generated that is not directly used or stored is then lost. So it pays to charge your car when the sun is shining. With the advent of bidirectional charging, this way the car can also function as a home battery.

Automatic reimbursement applies when you charge at a home charging station. You then basically pay twice for your energy. Once to your energy supplier through your meter box and in addition you are charged by the charging station. The fees you “double” pay are settled monthly and automatically refunded to you. Automatic reimbursement requires that the charging station (or at least its hosting) be through a partner of ours. In addition, it is necessary to use a charging product from the same provider. Finally, a subscription for hosting through the same provider is required. When you purchase a new charging station through ALD, this is all included in the package by default.

Do you already own a home charging station? Then it can be beneficial if we take out a hosting subscription for you. Based on the serial number of your home charging point, our staff will be happy to provide you with advice.

We like to make it easy for you. That’s why our charging point comes with a hosting subscription by default. The SIM card in the charging station is connected to the back office of the charging station provider. This ensures that there is always a connection to the charging point and that it is possible to remotely assist in the event of malfunctions and to settle power costs. In short, the hosting subscription offers:

1. Remote reading and administrative processing of charging transactions;

2. Settlement/compensation between lease driver, lease company, and employer;

3. Insight into charging transactions through an online environment. You can see your transactions, invoices, and the map of charging points here.

An automatic reimbursement (settlement) takes place between charging point supplier, lease driver, leasing company, and employer. Therefore, this service can only be offered at a home charging point of one of our partners. In addition, it is a must to use a charging product (pass or key) from the same supplier as the supplier of the home charging point. Finally, it requires a hosting subscription through us. We include this for you in the lease rate.

Yes, that's possible. In your account, you set whether the station can be used by other people. We call this “guest use”. If you no longer want to allow guest use, you turn off the option yourself.

Yes, it is possible to use your solar panels to charge your car. If you purchase a charging station through our partner, they will be happy to inform you further about this.

Looking for a list of all charging stations abroad? Download the “Laadpaal App” from the App Store or Google Play Store. The app also shows charging rates, which may vary by charging station.

Are you using an international charging product? Then you can use many of the (fast) charging points abroad. Always check the website or app of the charging card provider for this. There you will see where your card is accepted. For a MultiTankCard charging product, that is the EU Charging Card app. For a Shell Recharge (NewMotion) charging product, this is the NewMotion EV Charging app.

Yes, you can if your charging card provider partners with FastNed. With your charging card, you then easily start a quick-charging session. If you link your charging card in your FastNed account, you will benefit from additional handy features such as Autocharge, ‘live’ tracking of your charging sessions, an overview of all charging sessions, and more!

That’s easy! With your charging card, you can go to all public (fast) charging points in the Netherlands. In My ALD, you can easily find the nearest charging stations. Do you need to charge abroad? This is possible with most charging cards and at many of all (fast) charging points. A list of public charging stations can be found through the app of the charging card provider. With a MultiTankCard charging product, this is the EU Charging Card app. With an ENECO charging product, this is the MijnLaden app.

Rates for electric charging vary by charging station provider. In addition to a kWh price, some suppliers charge a starting rate or time rate. In addition, the cost depends on which charging card you use. Most charging card providers have an app that shows rates for each charging location. Are you using a MultiTankCard charging product? Then see where it is accepted and what the cost is here: https://www.mtc.nl/onze-diensten/elektrisch-laden/laadlocator

The abbreviation kW (kilowatt) is the unit for the power of electrical energy. The abbreviation kWh (kilowatt hour) is the amount of electricity produced or consumed in an hour. The battery size is indicated in kWh and the capacity of an electric car or charging station in kW.

Alternating current (AC) comes from the wall outlet. Direct current (DC) can be stored in a battery. With AC charging, the car uses an inverter inside the car called the On Board Charger. This inverter converts power from AC from the charging station or wall outlet to DC to store in the battery. In DC charging or fast charging, the inverter is located inside the fast charger.

The life of the battery pack depends on several factors, including the make and model of the car, the conditions of use, and how it is charged. Manufacturers usually have warranties for battery packs ranging from 8 to 10 years or a certain number of kilometres. Often with minimal capacity residual warranty.

There is no ready answer to the question of how often you can recharge the battery. Estimates range from 1,000 to 2,000 full charge cycles. But this may vary between different models. It is good to know that a “charge cycle” does not necessarily mean charging the battery from 0% to 100%; it can also be a partial charge. Regularly charging to 100% or discharging to 0% can adversely affect the life of the battery pack.

The capacity of the battery pack may gradually decrease over time – even if the battery is still usable. Technological developments are continually taking place, potentially improving the lifespan of battery packs in future electric cars.

Not all outlets can handle the high wattages needed to charge your electric car. You should therefore use the outlet only in emergency situations. To be sure, check whether the outlet is getting hot. If so, stop charging. Another thing to watch out for: there are specific requirements you must meet to run a power line across the pavement. Are you able to install a charging station at home? Then that is the best advice.

Is there not yet a public charging point nearby? Then you can apply to the municipality. The application process varies by municipality. But you must at least be able to prove that you have an electric car. For this, you will receive a statement from us. Unfortunately, because the license plate must be on the statement, we cannot provide the statement until after the car is delivered. Good to know: the charging point you request from the municipality is always a public charging point and does not give you a private right to use it.

Do you have a private parking space at your apartment? Or is there a parking lot on private land that is managed by the VVE, for example? Then there are options for having a charging station installed at your apartment. Does this not apply? Then check for public charging stations nearby. You can do so in the “Laadpaal App", which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. Are there no public charging stations nearby? Then you can apply to your municipality for this.

No, this is not allowed. Only under certain conditions can a waiver be requested from the municipality. If you receive the waiver, there are strict conditions you must meet. You can read more about this in this article from Autoweek.

Don’t have your own parking space, driveway or garage at home? Then take advantage of the public charging stations in your area. Or maybe charging at work is enough for you. You can find all public charging stations in the “Laadpaal App”, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. The app also shows the charging rates, which may vary by charging station.