Every day, hospitals welcome hundreds of patients, visitors and colleagues through their doors. A well-designed parking lot plays a big part in ensuring a smooth and accessible flow. As more and more drivers make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs), the demand for public EV charging infrastructure grows.
By providing EV charging, hospitals reaffirm their dedication to delivering the highest standard of service and care. It also underscores their commitment to sustainable operations across all facilities. And last but not least: electrifying the hospital parking lot demonstrates a proactive approach to meeting current and future regulations. Both Flanders and Brussels already have requirements in place, and it’s likely Wallonia will follow soon.
Your car charging station, financed by Blink
With the Blink Owned business model, we provide coverage for everything from on-site preparation to infrastructure, maintenance, and customer service. This allows you to prioritize your budget towards customer care, without worrying about additional expenses.
In essence, collaborating with Blink Charging for your EV charging infrastructure incurs minimal costs in this model. In certain scenarios, you may even have the opportunity to recoup a portion of the charging fees paid by visitors, potentially generating rental income from your electrified parking spaces.
Want to discuss the options for your hospital? Contact a Blink sales manager for more information >>
EV charging for hospitals: 5 questions you might have
More than anywhere else, a hospital’s motto is safety first. Let us assure you: EV charging infrastructure will always operate separately from your hospital, steering clear of all your facilities. To further put your mind at ease, we’ve outlined the five biggest questions that current hospital partners had at the start of their EV charging journey.
Question 1. Will the electrical requirements of EV charging interfere with the current electricity circuit of the hospital?
No, we won’t interfere with your existing electrical grid. We understand the critical role electricity plays in a hospital’s daily operations. You already have sophisticated electrical installations in place, designed specifically for uninterrupted functionality. You’re not exactly looking to expand these tailor-made circuits, as this might come with unnecessary risks.
A separate installation for your peace of mind
That’s why we keep our electrical needs completely separated from your hospital. We arrange for a new, dedicated electrical circuit for EV charging with the distribution network operator. If needed, we’ll even install an independent transformer to meet the power requirements for the EV charging infrastructure.
You can rest easy: in the rare event of a power outage at your charging station, this won’t have any effect on the hospital’s electrical grid . Same goes for the wireless internet connection: we employ separate SIM cards within our chargers.
Question 2. Will the hospital remain accessible during the installation process?
Yes, we prioritize easy access to the hospital. Most of the necessary groundwork involves establishing the independent circuit and routing it towards the designated charging spots. Depending on the location of the main power line, this will require more or less preparation. Here’s where your project manager comes in.
A dedicated Blink professional to guarantee 24/7 access
From careful planning to seamless coordination with all suppliers and contractors involved: your Blink project manager takes charge of the entire project. Their primary focus is minimizing any inconvenience for your patients or colleagues. After consulting you on the most favorable timeline, they’ll diligently oversee everything. As a result, your day-to-day activities can continue with limited disruption.
Question 3. What is the billing procedure for charging sessions?
It’s not just patients that park at hospitals. It’s visitors, suppliers and lots of personnel. If you’re centrally located, your car chargers could also attract EV drivers from the neighborhood. That sounds quite complex in terms of billing. How do they pay for their charging sessions? And what if you want to offer your personnel discounted tariffs? Four words: leave it to Blink.
You do one thing, Blink does everything else
Blink handles the billing of every EV driver that uses your charging station. This is an automated process that involves zero effort from you. Looking to adjust the tariff for a specific group? Ask us about the possibilities and we’ll be happy to arrange that for you.
Depending on the contract we have in place, a percentage of the charging fees paid may flow back to the hospital as an agreed upon rental income. In that case, you need to do one thing every month: bill us your share of the profit.
Question 4. In terms of maintenance and management, what is expected of the hospital after the installation is complete?
In short: very little. Your input is mostly needed before the EV charging station is up and running, from finalizing the contract to planning the installation. But once your chargers are in use? You can simply lean back.
All the improvements without the strain
Blink handles more than just the billing. We schedule maintenance updates, keep track of your charger’s performance and arrange for repairs when necessary. For EV drivers using your chargers, there’s our 24/7 customer service to assist.
You can simply offer EV charging as an increasingly important service without having to be involved. If you do run into questions, your dedicated Blink project manager is right there to answer them.
Question 5. Which type of charging suits hospitals the best?
You’re aware of the types of chargers currently on the market, but you’re unsure how to match them with the needs of your hospital clientele. Should you only offer slow charging (AC) or add fast charging (DC) to the mix? And how does this affect construction time and planning? You’re looking for expert advice in order to make this decision - and you’ve just found it.
Your location is the key
Most hospitals opt for AC charging, as patients and visitors easily spend over an hour in the building. Whether or not you should provide DC charging as well, depends on your location. Are you close to a city center or an important access route? In that case, the installation of a public DC charger could prove beneficial for EV drivers beyond just patients, visitors and personnel.
Accommodating DC charging does require extra construction efforts, as high voltage infrastructure is necessary. To ensure a smooth process that meets the deadline, we collaborate with dedicated contractors for both AC and DC charging installations. Collaborating with specialized companies leads to faster and more efficient site preparation.
Hypercharge your electric emergency vehicles with Blink
Planning to electrify your fleet? Depend on Blink to install hyperchargers renowned for their reliability. If necessary, we’ll provide a separate electrical circuit to guarantee flawless performance.
Blink Charging: expert in EV charging for hospitals
Ready to power up your hospital parking lot? Here’s why Blink Charging is the best choice for the job.
We know what we’re doing
We’ve been working together with Belgian hospitals since 2014, the very early days of electric driving. We’ve seen the Belgian market grow and change first-hand and have always stayed ahead of the curve with our solutions. Combine this local experience with the international resources of the global household name that is Blink Charging, and you have the perfect EV charging guide at your side.
We take everything out of your hands
Not only do we plan, execute and run everything. With the Blink Owned solution, we also finance everything. Which means you get to offer a sought-after service with minimal effort – and minimal investment .
We’re technology-driven
Thanks to in-house software development, Blink Charging offers cutting-edge technology.
For instance, you can seamlessly integrate your chargers with self-produced energy such as solar energy. Another part of our smart energy management is dynamic load balancing, which evenly distributes the available power supply.
Get in touch
Want us to take a closer look at EV charging opportunities for your hospital? Contact us and get expert advice from a Blink Professional.
