The Dutch government, provinces, and municipalities across the country have teamed up to funnel more money into establishing a national network of charging stations for electric cars in the Netherlands.
The collaboration is set to be the next step towards a nationwide, reliable, and future-proof network of charging stations. The government will be committing 15 million euros to develop the charging network, with the amount matched by all six regions involved in the project, bringing the total investment to 30 million euros.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, cooperating with provinces, municipalities, and grid operators will save the Netherlands both money and time, and provide more uniformity and clarity for users. The plan hopes to ensure all charging points are placed in logical positions across the country, in residential areas for private use, but also at business parks for buses and trucks.
The six regions involved in the project are:
The aim of the government is to have all new cars on the road be electric by 2030. Current predictions show there will be around 1,9 million electric cars in 10 years' time, and to cater to these numbers, 1,7 million charging points will be needed.
State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Stientje van Veldhoven, said moving over to electric cars has many advantages, but to ensure the goal for 2030 is successful, everyone who drives an electric car has to be able to easily charge it anywhere in the Netherlands.
The plan is to have 213 new charging points added per working day in 2021. This number will rise fo 550 new charging points a day in 2025. The Netherlands leads the way with the number of charging stations for electric cars, as no other country matches the number of charging points that are found here per square kilometre.
The Dutch government has also introduced a scheme which allows people to apply for subsidies for the purchase of electric cars. This scheme has been in effect since July 1, and a subsidy of 2.000 euros is available for a used car, and 4.000 euros for a new model. Within just one week of the scheme being introduced, 2.500 new electric cars were purchased across the country.
The subsidy scheme faced backlash when introduced, based on the sheer scale and cost of implementing it. Eight days after it’s launch, the 10 million euros set aside for subsidies had already run out.