The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is in full swing, especially within the professional fleet. And of course, anyone who drives electric must be able to charge. The demand for charging infrastructure in office buildings is louder than ever. To respond to this new need of their tenants, office owner Group Bernaerts has been working with Blink Charging since 2022. By the end of 2024, the counter had reached 88 charging points in Antwerp and Mechelen. “And they are all used daily,” says Nico Van Daele, Managing Director of Group Bernaerts.
Bernaerts & Blink
Together towards sustainable offices
From nice-to-have to must-have
In recent years, the popularity of EVs has increased significantly. Electric driving is gradually becoming king, especially in the company fleet. Between August 2023 and August 2024, the number of electric cars registered to a company increased by 82%, according to figures from Statbel1.
This switch to electric driving has an impact on office buildings. Nico Van Daele, Managing Director of Group Bernaerts, also feels this. This major Belgian real estate player develops, builds, rents and sells commercial real estate in the regions of Antwerp and Mechelen. “In a short time, charging points have evolved from a nice-to-have for business premises to an absolute must-have on the Belgian rental market,” he explains. “The demand for charging options also grew very quickly among our tenants.”
Initially, Group Bernaerts opted for a wait-and-see approach. “We first wanted to gain a good insight into the technical and practical possibilities,” Nico explains. “For example, how do we control access to parking spaces with a charging station? How do we keep track of how much someone charges? And how do we then charge this consumption to the right person? We looked for concrete answers to these questions before taking further steps.”
In the meantime, tenants could install charging stations on their own parking spaces, with private meters. “But that quickly led to a proliferation of charging stations, which was no longer technically manageable,” Nico adds. It was clear: a more structural approach was needed.
1 Vehicle stock | Statbel. (2024, September 16). https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/mobility/traffic/vehicle-stock
Blink Charging and Group Bernaerts as allies
It was a tenant who introduced Group Bernaerts to Blink Charging. “The total care that Blink offers was exactly what we needed,” Nico explains. Equipping an existing building with charging infrastructure is not always easy. “You are indeed faced with challenges on a technical and administrative level,” says Olivier Van Schap, Managing Director of Blink Charging Belgium. “You also have to take into account the capacity of the electricity grid. Charging points cause an increased load.”
Each of these are challenges that Blink knows how to deal with. The pioneer on the Belgian EV market specialises in charging solutions for companies. “Office owners are quickly confronted with this new, urgent need from their tenants. We understand all too well that this can be overwhelming. That is why we take care of the entire process, from technical analysis and design to installation and implementation,” Olivier explains. “In addition, each customer has a permanent contact person available to answer questions or provide support.”
This integrated approach played a major role in the choice of Blink Charging.
“We are very pleased that we can offer tenants a high-quality and reliable solution, which Blink takes full care of,” confirms Nico.
Blink itself also sees the collaboration as a logical step. “Group Bernaerts is one of the first real estate owners to proactively focus on charging infrastructure for their tenants, a need that will only grow,” says Olivier. “This future-oriented approach fits in perfectly with our own drive to continuously respond to change.”
“We are very pleased that we can offer tenants a high-quality and reliable solution, which Blink takes full care of.”
Nico Van Daele
CEO, Group Bernaerts
The solution
As for the charging solution itself, it consists of slow chargers or AC chargers. Blink Charging proposes this solution as standard to office owners, Olivier explains. “EVs are often parked at an office for 4 to 8 hours. That is enough time to fully charge the batteries. AC chargers also have a relatively low power, which makes the installation more efficient and cheaper. This ensures that we can install more charging points within the same electricity grid. AC chargers are also more interesting in terms of scalability: more power is not necessarily needed to expand.”
In 2023 and 2024, Blink installed a total of 88 charging points for Group Bernaerts, both in Antwerp and Mechelen. “And they are used daily. In fact, the number of kilowatt hours charged on our sites triples every year,” says Nico.
Olivier adds: “By integrating EV charging, you not only reduce the ecological footprint of your office building – you also respond to increasingly stringent sustainability requirements. That makes it a smart move to prepare your real estate for the future.”
What’s next?
Group Bernaerts is going to expand the charging infrastructure, both underground and above ground. “We plan to double the number of chargers by 2025,” says Nico. “Above ground, we will focus on semi-public chargers near highways, concert halls and event locations. This way, these chargers are also profitable after office hours or during the weekend.”
Blink Charging is a leader in this type of innovative solutions. “We offer parking management solutions through collaborations with third parties,” explains Olivier. “With platforms specially designed for complex ‘multi-tenant’ environments, we can offer a solution for parking spaces that are regularly empty. In this way, we always maximize the available charging spaces, which is positive for the owner and the neighborhood.”
About Group Bernaerts
Group Bernaerts develops, builds, rents and sells commercial real estate in the regions of Antwerp and Mechelen. The group rents approximately 210,000 m2 of offices and logistics sites and semi-industrial real estate.
About Blink Charging Belgium
Blink Charging (Nasdaq: BLNK) has been active on the Belgian EV market since 2011 and has played a key role in the rise of electric charging. The pioneer combines state-of-the-art charging infrastructure with total care, from analysis and design to installation and maintenance. Blink Charging is active worldwide in charging station infrastructure and is listed on the stock exchange.
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