Brussels to fine EV charging point blockers
From 1 October, the Brussels government will introduce a rotation fee of €0.06 per minute for EVs that remain connected to a public charging station for more than six hours. The rule will apply between 09:00 and 22:00 and aims to prevent charging points from being blocked for extended periods. According to the regional grid operator Sibelga, the average occupancy duration of public charging points has prompted this measure. On average, vehicles remain connected for six hours and 30 minutes, while a typical charging session (to top up 18 kWh) takes only around two hours and 20 minutes. These prolonged dwell times have increasingly caused bottlenecks, despite the region’s continuous expansion of its charging network.
“Charging stations are not parking spaces,” stated Brussels State Secretary for Energy, Audrey Henry, in an interview with The Brussels Times. Alongside State Secretary for the Environment, Ans Persoons, she is championing the introduction of the new regulation. The goal is to use the existing charging infrastructure more efficiently and support the growth of electromobility in the capital.
The measure comes as EV registrations in Brussels continue to rise. According to the regional government, nearly one in four newly registered cars in the region is now a battery-electric vehicle. Company cars are driving this trend: among newly registered fleet vehicles, the BEV share has reached 61 per cent.
Brussels is not alone in introducing a rotation fee: other Belgian cities have already implemented similar rules. In Antwerp, a per-minute blocking fee is also charged once a vehicle has reached a full charge. In Ghent, a fee of €3.60 per hour is levied if vehicles remain at public charging points after completing the charging process.
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