Electric driving - Charging

To charge your electric vehicle, you will require a recharging station, a charging cable, and a charging card.

Fast chargers are quite like standard rechargers. As the name suggests, it is a faster way to recharge. One main difference is the use of direct currents. With direct currents, the vehicle's transducer is not used but rather the battery is directly charged by the recharging terminal. This allows for much higher charging speeds than with alternating currents.

The main differences:

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  Charge to 80% within half an hour
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  Cable is attached to the recharging terminal, so you're not using your own
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  Charging with direct currents rather than alternating currents

This depends on several factors: the type of car, how empty the battery is, how fast your car can charge and at which charging point you will charge. If you charge your car at a regular power socket, you should be able to count on 24 hours. At a public charge point this is about 4 to 8 hours. If you are going to charge your car with a quick charger (you will find this mainly along the motorway), your battery will be 80% charged in 30 minutes. Keep in mind that charging at such a quick charger is more expensive than at a normal charging point.

Plan – Before you hit the road, it is important to know where you are going and to check whether your destination has access to a charging station.

At home you can charge your car in 2 ways:

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  at a home charging station: the plugs are specially designed for charging electric vehicles, allowing for larger currents and thus charging the car faster.
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  at a regular socket: to ensure that the socket is correctly protected, a safety device has been built into the charging cable. One condition, however, is that the socket must be equipped with a compliant earthing system.

On the road, you have the following options:

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  public charging point that you can find in the charging app.
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  Fast charger: this can be found mainly along the motorway. They allow you in certain cases to charge the battery up to 80% within about 30 minutes.

You connect the electric car to the charging station via the charging cable. With your charging card you can log in and start charging. The costs of charging will be charged periodically by the provider of the charging card.

Prices differ per loading point. Depending on the operator of the charging station, prices may be based on:

• 1.
  1.

  Starting fee (one-off) The operator charges a fee for the start of a charging session. Starting charges can be combined with other pricing models.

• 2.
  2.

  Minute based charging The operator creates the invoice based on the time your car is connected to the charging station. This means that you pay if you are parked at the charging station, even after charging has been completed. For charging stations that use this system, you will see the following note in our app: "charges apply as long as your car is connected to the charging station, even when the charging process has already stopped".

• 3.
  3.

  Charging per kWh and based on time This operator invoices its charging sessions based on the kWh consumption in combination with the parking time at the charging station.

Charging with fast chargers, for example, is much more expensive than charging at normal charging stations. Before connecting to a fast charger, check whether the speed advantage is worth it compared to the higher costs.

The smart cable is included in the lease contract. It's an accessory that must be returned with the car.

Dynamic load balancing ensures optimal energy distribution on the network, so that overloading does not occur, and the vehicle can always be optimally charged. You can determine the charging speed yourself.

The charging session usually stops as soon as the car is fully charged.

Attention: some providers have a price structure that you charge per minute. This means that even after your car is fully charged, you will have to pay the price per minute (often considered a "parking fee"). Consider this before you park your car for a longer period. It's better to move your car as soon as charging is complete. This will free up the charging point for the next driver.

Hold the charging key at the marked connection point and the charging session starts after a few seconds.

Our tips before charging:

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  We recommend that you check the prices on our app before every charge.
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  Charging with fast chargers is much more expensive than charging with normal charging stations. Before connecting to a quick charger, please check whether the speed advantage is worth it compared to the higher costs.

When your car is fully charged, the charging session will automatically end.

To end a charging session earlier:

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  If you are using the charging key: hold the charging key to the station again to end the charging session.
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  If you are using the app: click the "stop" button to end the charging session.

Our tips before charging:

• •
  We recommend checking the prices on our app before each charging session.
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  Charging at fast chargers is much more expensive than charging at normal charging stations. Before connecting to a fast charger, check if the speed advantage is worth it compared to the higher cost.

Before reporting a problem, check if:

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  The cable is correctly positioned. If this is the case and the car is still not charging, stop the session and start again.
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  The internet connection works when you use the app.

Still having problems?

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  Please contact the provider if the drive station does not work or if there is a problem with the drive station itself. The hotline number can be found directly on the station or in our app.
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  Please contact us if you have any problems with the app or with your charging key.

Do you have your own driveway, garage or private parking? Are you an owner or tenant? Can you act independently as an owner or is this in consultation with an association of homeowners? In addition, it is best to consider the mains voltage that is connected in your street. This has an influence on the charging speed of your car.

Your home charger and charging card are registered in your name. To use the home charger, you must register with your charging card. A charging card other than yours will not be accepted.

You can add users or charge cards in the online platform of your charge point. Please check the manual or contact the operator of your charge point.

Charging station owner differs Each charging station owner can set his/her own charging rate for his/her charging station. As a result, the cost of charging sessions may vary from charging station to charging station.

The connection fee differs Many places charge a fee (usually per minute) for the time you are connected while the car is no longer charging. This fee is called connection fee. The reason is that the number of public charging stations is still limited, and a non-charging car is occupying the service, so to speak, preventing others from using them.

Your home consumption can be billed to your employer monthly and reimbursed to you.

Your charging station or cable is equipped with a "smart meter" that keeps track of consumption. This allows the settlement of charging sessions automatically, including to your employer or company.