Together with Electra, the Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize is expanding its fleet of charging stations with 1,800 additional fast charging points.
The Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize made the announcement the week before last that beginning the following year, it will begin installing 1,800 public fast charging points for electric cars in the parking lots of its stores. By doing so, it will be able to provide an additional service to its customers and assist local residents and passersby in locating a charging point in the vicinity. Delhaize is making the transition to electric driving much easier by providing such a large number of fast charging points – the largest in the retail industry – and making them freely accessible to everyone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In doing so, Delhaize is actively contributing to the transition to this form of sustainable mobility. In order to instal the charging stations, Delhaize is collaborating with the European fast-charging specialist Electra, which, along with its partner EDI (Electric by D’Ieteren), is contributing €100 million to this project. Electra is helping Delhaize instal the charging stations.
“If we want to ensure that electric driving becomes truly widespread, we need to make it as easy as possible. For instance, we could give drivers the opportunity to recharge their vehicles while they are out driving or while they are out doing their weekly shopping. This would go a long way toward achieving our goal of making electric driving truly widespread. A widespread and freely accessible charging network is essential for this, and we want to be the ones to set the standard in this regard by installing the largest fast charging network within the retail sector in Belgium “CEO of Delhaize, Xavier Piesvaux, made this statement.
Providing customers, local residents, and pedestrians with time-saving assistance
Delhaize, a chain of supermarkets, plans to provide an additional service to its patrons by providing charging stations for electric vehicles in the parking lots of its stores over the next few years. The 1,800 charging stations will be powered by renewable energy. During their trip to the store, which usually lasts between thirty-five and forty minutes, they can use the rapid charging point to bring their electric vehicle’s battery up to eighty percent of its capacity. In this way, Delhaize is on board with its customers, who save time as a result of the ability to combine shopping with filling up their gas tank in their vehicle. Customers can pay for their charge using a bank card, a charge card, or the Electra application. A charge point can be reserved remotely in advance so that customers can be sure that they will receive their charge.
In addition, the charging points are available for use by neighbourhood residents who do not have access to a charging station of their own in their homes. They are able to charge their vehicles at Delhaize parking lots using standard, more gradual charging points, even outside of normal business hours. The retailer is also interested in making life simpler for pedestrians whose path already includes a Delhaize location. They can pull over, get some refreshments, and maybe do some last-minute shopping while they wait. “This allows us the opportunity to acquire new clients as well. People who would not have shopped at Delhaize before may now do so due to the convenience they experience as a result of the combination of grocery shopping and filling up at the same location “Piesvaux said.
The ease of use is essential.
At a price that is comparable to other options, motorists will have round-the-clock access to charging stations for their vehicles. The charging stations have a total capacity of 150 kW, which breaks down to 75 kW for each charging point in the station. Delhaize is collaborating with the young French company Electra, which is a specialist in the process of rapidly charging vehicles, in order to develop its fleet of fast charging stations. Electra is investing more than €100 million in this project in partnership with EDI (Electric by D’Ieteren), which wants to differentiate itself from the competition by focusing on more than just charging infrastructure that is available at home or in the workplace. Electra’s investment will go toward the development of this project.
“Electra possesses the same passion for mobility that Delhaize does for delicious and nutritious food. We have been successful in locating a business partner who, like us, places a high priority on providing excellent customer service. As a result, our products and services offer a level of convenience that is difficult for competing vendors to match “Piesvaux said. Augustin Derville, the general manager of Electra BeLux, expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration, stating, “We in turn are also very happy with the cooperation.” “We are helping thousands of Belgian drivers find a charging station in their neighbourhood so that they can save a lot of time with this, and we are determined to make charging as simple and straightforward as is humanly possible.”
Make the shift to environmentally responsible transportation.
The retailer has made the very deliberate choice to instal fast charging points specifically for electric cars and to bring them even closer to people as part of this decision. In this way, it hopes to assist society in the significant transition that it is currently undergoing, specifically the one towards more environmentally responsible modes of transportation. According to Xavier Piesvaux, “the ambition that Delhaize has in terms of reducing CO2 emissions and achieving sustainability is great.” “Among the many components that make up our sustainability initiative known as The Lions Footprint are a variety of steps that aim to cut down on CO2 emissions by the greatest amount possible. Every one of our retail locations is carbon neutral, and by the year 2050, we will have cut our CO2 emissions by half. Additionally, our corporate headquarters and distribution centres are outfitted with 330 green charging points, which can be used to power electric company vehicles. But that’s not the whole story; we also believe that, as a retailer, we have an important role to play and can really encourage people to eat better, live better, and now move more sustainably as well.”
