Fastned opens fast-charging station at Van der Valk Hotel

Fastned has opened a fast-charging location at the Van der Valk Hotel in Germany as part of larger cooperation across Europe. Fastned was also successful with a complaint filed with the Dutch state regarding their idea of turning charging stations into more pit stop like facilities.

As far as the fast-charging location is concerned, it is Fastned’s first at a Van der Valk hotel and part of cooperation to jointly set up further stations in Germany as well as Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK. In the new stop at the town of Gladbeck close to the A2 motorway, there is a fast-charger with 50 kW and another with 175 kW.

Fastned currently has 87 locations in operation, nine of which are in Germany. There are also other fast-charging locations presently under construction, including some at Van der Valk hotels.

Regarding the complaint lodged with the Dutch Council of State, Fastned was successful. The fast charging company appealed against the Minister of Infrastructure and Environment’s decision refusing Fastned permission for a shop and toilets at its charging stations. This ruling repeals the Minister’s directive that such facilities would not be allowed at charging stations along the motorway.

The case concerned two charging stations at the “Velder” and “DeHorn” service stations along the A2 and A7 motorways in the Netherlands but affected all charging stations along the Dutch motorways. “This is very good news for electric drivers. They want to drink a cup of coffee and go to the toilet, just like people with a gasoline car,” Fastned underlines the critical decision in a press release. Fastned hopes that with this decision the Minister will support the realisation of rest facilities for drivers of electric vehicles more widely.

More so, it is not the first  successful complaint by Fastned. They had to go to court for their legal claim against the Rijkswaterstaat government, who permitted oil giant Shell to construct charging stations at locations already promised to Fastned. The highest Dutch court recently decided that Fastned’s claim is valid.

fastned-en.pr.co (Hotel), fastned-en.pr.co (lawsuit)

Additional reporting by Nora Manthey.