It’s time to face reality: free recharging of electric cars is exceeded

To quickly verify which charging services are paid, how much they cost and check the availability of the terminals, you can use the Chargeprice application. You will see that the free load terminals are now rare. In the Paris region, they are counted on the fingers of one hand.

How to use Lidl charging stations ? It is very simple

The search for charging stations is a major problem for fans of electric mobility. It is important to anticipate recharging, and locate the charging stations available upstream, especially for long journeys. Apart from rapid charging infrastructure on the highway and public charging stations on the roads, you can also recharge electric vehicles on the terminals of shops and supermarkets. And this is the case with LIDL which provides its customers with electric terminals for free use. But how to use them to leave with a loaded vehicle ? We detail their operation.

Summary

Know if a charging point is available

A lidl terminal allows you to recharge an electric car for free. If free solutions have become increasingly rare and often difficult to access, especially on public limits, Lidl car parks continue to provide a graceful charging service. You might as well take advantage of it when the load terminal is available ! The lidl charging station is equipped with a light light. This is green when the charging point is free and functional. You can therefore choose a charging station with the green light to connect your electric vehicle. Once the recharging is launched, the light indicator light changes color.

Good to know

You can repeat the charging cycle by checking the “repeat” box on the different days of the week, but also, to choose the load power of your terminal.

Plug your electric car

1. Connect the charger cable to the car
2. Press the green button on the terminal door
3. The door of the load terminal opens
4. Connect the cable to the plug of the charging station
5. Close the door

If everything is going well and the charging process is properly launched, The green light light of the terminal will become purplish blue. Likewise, the recharge witness on your car should light up. For example, on a Tesla, the light indicator should go green in the case of a normal load.

Stop recharging

Once you have done the requirement time required, you can stop and unplug your car. Here is what to do, in this case:

1. Stop the recharge and unlock the plug using the dashboard or the steering screen according to the electric vehicles concerned
2. Disconnect the cable on the car
3. Press the red button on the load terminal door
4. The door of the terminal opens
5. Disconnect the cable from the socket

And there you just have Store your charging cable, and leave with a recharged battery ! These terminals are among the free charging solutions available for users of electric cars. You can enjoy it while you do .

It’s time to face reality: free recharging of electric cars is exceeded

Lidl has announced its intention to stop free recharge for electric cars in Belgium. In France, it was already the case. Although disappointing for consumers, this transition was inevitable given economic reality: offering free electricity at a cost.

There was a time when free recharge of electric cars was a weight argument to encourage consumers to go to all electric. For brands, it was an ingenious way to attract customers to their establishments. Whether on public limits, in supermarkets, and for a long time at Lidl. In Belgium, however, the wind turns.

Lidl recently announced in the newspaper Belang van Limburg that it would soon end the free of its charging stations. Although no precise date has been set, the transition should be made quickly. The brand evokes difficulties in maintaining this free service, especially after the increase in energy prices observed this winter. Despite everything, Lidl reassures its customers: they will always benefit from a preferential rate on paid charging stations. Lidl is not the only brand to take this step. In Belgium, Delhaize and Ikea have also indicated their intention to invoice the recharge of electric cars in the future.

In France, Lidl gradually returned its paid charge. However, this transition was accompanied by the implementation of fast load terminals at a preferential rate. A significant advantage for users of electric cars. At Carrefour, in France, for example, the situation is a little different. To benefit from an hour of free load, you must hold a loyalty card.

To quickly verify which charging services are paid, how much they cost and check the availability of the terminals, you can use the Chargeprice application. You will see that the free load terminals are now rare. In the Paris region, they are counted on the fingers of one hand.

Chargeprice: terminals and prices

When it’s free, it’s slow

It should be recalled that when these services are free, they are generally slow and limited in time. In most cases, these are alternating current charging stations, with a power of 3.7 kW, 7 kW, 11 kW or 22 kW. Concretely, this means that after an hour of load, you can recover enough energy to travel between 20 and 150 kilometers. For customers who easily spend several hours in shopping centers, this made it possible to recharge the battery almost entirely.

It is true that it can be disappointing for consumers to learn that the services they are used to using free will start to be billed. However, in the case of electric cars recharges, this transition was inevitable. Companies that once offered this service for free must face an essential economic reality: providing electricity for free at a cost.

One of the main factors is the cost of the charging equipment itself. Electric cars charging stations are sophisticated devices that require a significant financial investment. In addition, they require regular maintenance to stay in good working order. All this represents expenses that companies must assume.

The second factor is the growing cost of electricity. In recent months, energy prices have increased significantly. Companies that provide charging services are not immune to this trend. The more the cost of electricity increases, the more expensive it becomes to provide these services for free.

It is essential to remember that companies cannot afford to lose money indefinitely. Even if offering free recharges of electric cars can be a great way to attract customers, you have to balance this with the reality of operational costs. If a company loses money every time it offers a service, it can endanger its long -term viability.

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Recharging your electric car for free at the supermarket, it’s soon over

The Belgian press announced this Thursday, June 15, that several trade signs were going to end the free electric charging stations in front of their stores. The practice is also disappearing in France.

It was perhaps an argument of force to convince Belgian motorists to make a transition to electric vehicles. Now it could be a little more complicated.

This Thursday, June 15, the Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg announced that several national brands would abandon the free recharging system for electric vehicles for their customers.

Too expensive an investment

The announcement fell into the press, with a declaration by a spokesperson for the Lidl store chain, who was a leader in the establishment of electric terminals within the premises of its stores and their use at no cost. “We are going to go to a paying system”, he confirmed to the local newspaper, adding that“There is not yet a specific date but that will not hang out”.

“The reason is that it is no longer tenable to offer the possibility of recharging for free, certainly with the high energy prices of last winter. But our customers will still benefit from an advantageous rate on paid charging stations “, explained the spokesman.

Also according to Het Belang Van Limburg, this announcement should not only concern the Lidl brand, but many other competitors in Belgium. Delhaize, who announced last December to want to install more than 1,800 electric charging stations in the parking lots of his stores, as well as IKEA, also plan to charge the recharge in the future.

Among the leaders of the commerce sector in Belgium, only the brands of the Colruyt group already offered a paid charging service, but attractive prices: 40 cents per kWh for classic recharge and 66 cents per kWh for quick recharge.

An almost similar situation in France

In France, it is possible to recharge your electric vehicle free of charge on terminals installed near signs. Unfortunately, this practice tends to disappear gradually, like Lidl France, which offered free recharges in the past. Same story with Auchan, who decided in 2019 to make access to his payments paid due to abusive use.

Among some commercial industry giants, everything is done to retain the customer: for example, the brands of the Carrefour group offer one hour of free recharge per day on a terminal at 22kW, only for customers with their loyalty card. Sufficient delay to recharge up to 50 % of the battery of a city vehicle according to the brand.

The increase in the cost of electricity in recent months, as well as the abusive behavior of certain electric vehicle owners, could explain the gradual end of the terminals available for free store customers. Fortunately, the network of terminals is increasing, both in France and in the rest of Europe, with reduced prices to attract more and more motorists to electric.

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