Electric vehicle charging points installed on streetlamps in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre

Electric vehicle charging points installed on streetlamps in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem

Woluwe-Saint-Pierre has become the first municipality in Belgium to install electric car chargers on streetlamp posts, reports La Capitale. Four new charging ports have been installed on streetlamps in the Saint-Alix neighbourhood.

In 2021, eight other charging ports were first tested in the commune at the proposal of Mobility alderman Alexandre Prison (of the party Les Engagés) and in collaboration with Sibelga, the gas and electricity distributor of Brussels.

Streetlight and on-street ports have the same charging time, but the lamp post chargers cost less to install and take up less space, said Mr. Prison for La Capitale.

A 2022 study commissioned by ChargerLight, a British streetlight charging port company, also claims that setting up standalone charging stations is eight times more carbon intensive, since the streetlight solution can be integrated with existing infrastructure.

Related News

Last October, the automobile federation ACEA showed Belgium is lagging behind its neighbours on the provision electric car charging points. Nationwide there is an average of 8.8 charging points per 100 kilometres; by comparison the Netherlands boasts 64.3.

The lack of charging points puts people off buying electric cars and it is hoped that by increasing the network of streetlight chargers electric car ownership will become more widespread.

Most users charge their electric vehicles at home with private equipment they install. But this option is not readily available to renters or those living in apartments. Charging ports on streetlights would make it much more convenient to have an electric car in a city.


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.