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The curtain seems to be falling on the age of fossil fuels. In anticipation, ThePluginCompany is helping to create an international network of recharging stations for electric cars. At the same time, the mobile network from Belgacom is opening the door to a range of extra services.

Analysts predict that in 10 years’ time, there will be half a million electric cars driving on Belgium’s roads. Theoretically, that means that half a million recharging stations are also going to be needed. After all, an electric vehicle - car, motorcycle, motor scooter, bicycle - demands a different approach than a vehicle with a traditional combustion motor. The battery cannot be recharged while you are on the road with your electric car, it has to be done at night, at home in your garage. But this could also be done at a public parking lot while you are shopping or in the underground car park at work.

ThePluginCompany is a Belgian SME that provides smart recharging solutions for electric vehicles. Currently, in Belgium, more than 50 stations have already been installed at branches  of Belgacom, McDonald, Brico, Vincipark, Interparking, Eandis, LeasePlan, Toyota, etc. “These are all companies that take their social responsibility seriously,” points out Leo Van Geyt, managing director of ThePluginCompany. “They are already providing recharging infrastructure. In this way, they are helping to break the vicious circle. The problem that there aren’t any electric cars because of the shortage of recharging stations- or vice versa - is no longer true.”

According to Leo Van Geyt, it is important to develop a sufficiently dense network of recharging stations. “In principle, at every location where you park your electric vehicle, there should be a recharging station. This would allow you to make optimal use of the parking time to recharge your vehicle. Moreover, the fact that users can recharge their electric cars everywhere on the road, would give them a comfortable feeling. ”

Wireless data traffic

Through wireless communication, all of the recharging stations of ThePluginCompany are connected with the company’s extended back-office application. ThePluginCompany relies on the GPRS network from Belgacom to make this possible. Technical tests have indicated that the mobile network from Belgacom ensures the best coverage and stability, even in underground parking garages. The wireless data exchange between recharging station and back-office is fully secure, based on a completely protected private APN (Access Point Name).

“The communication with the recharging stations is strategically important for a number of reasons,” explains Leo Van Geyt. “In the first place, it allows us to verify if the owner of the recharging stations checks the status of his network of his recharging stations via our web-based application: whether it is functioning properly and which stations are available. In addition, the recharging station transmits dynamic data about each recharging session. This includes information about the user, the duration of the recharging session and the power used.” This is information that can be important for the company that installed the recharging station, for example in order to be able to bill the end-user for the recharging session. At the same time, at the recharging station, the end-user can also access his personal data through a simple web-based application. Also, for the link to the Smart Grid (an intelligent electricity network) a reliable wireless communication is indispensable.

Extra applications

However, wireless data communication offers a wide range of extra possibilities. “We know in real time whether a recharging station is available. This is information that we can transmit to the end-user via the GPS.” This allows him to see on his GPS where the nearest available recharging station is. Through the mobile network, the end-user could then transmit a reservation for the recharging station and can even simply pay for the recharging session by SMS. “With Belgacom we have a partner able to support this type of extra application”, Van Geyt added, “as we expand our activities into other countries as well.”

Company Profile

ThePluginCompany is a Belgian SME that is accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to electricity. The company supplies user-friendly plugin-solutions for recharging electric vehicles in the Benelux countries, France and Germany.

Business benefits

- Guaranteed coverage for wireless data communication, even underground
- Secure wireless data communication between the recharging stations and the back-office
- Support for integration with additional applications, e.g. using GPS and electronic payment transactions via SMS
- Easy scalability as the number of recharging stations grows
- Solid network partner that is also capable of supporting the international dimension

More info?

For more information on this solution, visit the Belgacom website or contact your Account Manager.