The limit of 500,000 charging points in the Netherlands has been passed, according to the Dutch authority that is responsible for the increase of charging infrastructure in the Netherlands, the Nationale Agenda Laadinfrastructuur (NAL). These are private, (semi-)public and fast charging points.

Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, chairman of NAL: “We are well on track. The Netherlands is one of the frontrunners in Europe when it comes to charging infrastructure. But there are also challenges. The growth of electric transport is increasing every year. The construction of charging infrastructure is currently hampered by network congestion, particularly with the roll-out of fast chargers and charging options for heavy transport. Sufficient available charging capacity is a concern, while this is a condition for the roll-out of charging infrastructure.”

At the end of April 2023, there were 518,000 charging points in the Netherlands, including the estimated number of private charging points (384,200). The ratio between public and private charging differs greatly per region, according to the figures presented in the report. This is because residents in certain regions more often have their own driveway or parking space. This is less the case in urban areas, so that the number of private charging points is relatively lower and people are more dependent on the public charging infrastructure. In the rural regions, with the North leading, 88% of EV drivers charge at home (nationally this percentage is 67%).

At the moment, public charging points are mainly placed on a demand-driven basis, but in the coming years more NAL regions and municipalities will install charging points proactively and data-driven. Data-driven parking involves looking at the charging pressure in certain areas: how many cars use a charging point? Proactive placement ensures that EV drivers can use more charging points. The NAL is working on a dashboard that shows the lead times in the application and realization process.

In addition to network congestion, the NAL also identifies other bottlenecks, including the costs of electric charging. Due to the energy crisis, prices fluctuate strongly. Electric driving has become economically less attractive than driving a fuel car. The NAL states that electric driving should be financially more attractive than driving on petrol or diesel, and explicitly asks the Dutch government to introduce measures in this regard. Transparency about the prices charged at a charging point must also be improved. Gerbrandy: “Due to the energy crisis, charging a car has sometimes become two to three times more expensive. The disappearance of tax incentives after 2025 and the higher motor vehicle tax due to the higher weight of electric cars will further exacerbate that effect. Without measures that make the electric car more financially attractive compared to the fossil fuel engine, the government’s climate goals with regard to mobility could be seriously jeopardized.”

Another bottleneck according to the NAL is electrification of the logistics sector. In addition to the aforementioned network congestion, the current high purchase costs of electrical equipment, long delivery times for electric trucks and the construction of sufficient charging infrastructure for heavy transport are a matter of concern.