Four new smart charging plazas pop up in Rotterdam

The Dutch port city makes another step towards emission-free transport

Rotterdam is opening electric charging plazas at four new locations, the municipality reported on Monday. These public and smart facilities will offer parking spaces enough for a total of 36 e-vehicles.

The move shows the commitment of the port city’s authorities to emissions-free transport, and more liveable and healthy public spaces. It is part of a wider effort to improve air quality in the Dutch port city.

Traffic is one of the biggest factors for air pollution in Rotterdam

Four charging locations in Rotterdam were made available without interruption to the owners of electric vehicles (at Schiedamse Vesthof, Nassauhaven North, Cor Kieboomplein and Stieltjesstaat). As of recently, they have been furnished with e-charging plazas with smart charging stations.

The “smart” component lies in the fact that the chargers have built-in software, which distributes the available power over all cars currently connected to the charging station – the so-called load balancing. This way, if there are only a few cars and a lot of energy available, the automobiles are charged at maximum capacity and speed.

On the contrary, at peak times, such as at the end of the working day, charging can temporarily slow a bit, thereby absorbing the pressure exerted on the power grid. However, users will never be charged for more kilowatt-hours per session than at a regular charging station, the authorities clarified.

The new charging plazas are meant to make e-vehicles more attractive, which contributes to solving problems with air pollution, according to city councillor Arno Bronte. He further pointed out that they efficiently use and manage sustainably generated energy – solar or wind.

The Dutch municipality is planning to build a comprehensive network of charging points, and thereby enhance the attractiveness of zero-emission transport. 2800 electric charging points have already been installed, as a means to promote a quiet, economical and clean transport alternatives.