Charging
questions,
answered.

Plug the cable into the car first, then into the station, and hold your charge card or key fob against the reader. Within a few seconds the light changes from ready to charging. Paying without a card works the same way: scan the QR code on the socket and follow the steps on your phone.

Nine times out of ten the cable is not fully seated, the car is locked or asleep, or the card was not accepted. Push both ends in until they click, unlock the car, then hold the card on the reader again. If the station shows a red light, that socket has a fault: use the other one and report it.

The car decides when it actually draws power. Check whether a departure timer, scheduled charging or a charge limit is set in the car or its app, because those tell the car to wait. Also check whether the battery already sits at the limit you set. If nothing is scheduled, stop the session, unplug for 30 seconds and start again.

Hold the same card or fob against the reader, or stop the session in the app you started it with. Wait for the light to change and the lock to release, then unplug from the car first and from the station second. Pulling the cable before the session is closed is what usually gets it stuck.

A session ends by itself when the car reaches its charge limit, when the cable moves in the socket, when the car’s own timer takes over, or when the station loses power or its connection. The session record in your app shows how many kWh went in, which is usually enough to tell whether the car simply finished.

You can, but at many locations it costs you. Some sites charge a connection fee per hour once charging has finished, so a full car does not block the spot all day. The fee is shown on the station and in the app before you start, and moving the car when it is done avoids it entirely.

First end the session properly with the card you started it with, because the lock only releases once the session is closed. If it stays stuck, lock and unlock the car with the key, which releases the connector on most models. Every car also has a mechanical emergency release, usually a cord in the boot or under the bonnet and described in the manual. If none of that works, call the fault number on the station.

Use the other socket on the same station if it is free, and report the fault so it gets fixed. Note the station ID printed on the unit and the number of the socket you were using, because that is the first thing support will ask for.

Call the number on the sticker on the charging station, or use the contact details at the bottom of this page. Tell us the station ID, the socket number, the time, and what the screen or the light showed. For the stations we operate, the fault line is open 24/7.

That is the parking owner’s call, not the charging operator’s. Contact the site owner or the parking management, and on public roads the municipality’s enforcement line. We cannot have a car towed from a spot we do not own.

Note whether it is AC or DC that fails, since the car uses different hardware for each. Try the other socket, then a different station of the same type. If it fails on one station only, the station is the problem. If it fails on every station of one type, it is the car or the charge card, and your dealer or provider can check it.

The station only gives what the car asks for. The real limit is whichever is lowest: the charger built into your car, the cable, the station, and what the grid connection allows at that moment. A car that accepts 11 kW AC will never charge faster on a 22 kW station, whichever cable you use.

Batteries taper. Above roughly 80% the car deliberately slows down to protect the cells, so a fast charge halving in speed near the end is normal. A cold battery also charges slowly until it warms up, and load balancing on a busy site can lower everyone’s speed for a while.

With AC, the converter inside your car does the work, which is why 11 or 22 kW is the ceiling for most cars. With DC, the converter sits in the station itself, so it can push far more power straight into the battery. AC suits parking for hours, DC suits stopping for half an hour.

Divide the kWh you need by the power you are actually getting. A 60 kWh battery at 11 kW takes about six hours from nearly empty; the same battery on a 100 kW fast charger goes from 10 to 80% in roughly half an hour. Once the session is running, the car’s own estimate is the most reliable one.

Yes. A cold battery accepts less power until it warms up, so a winter session often starts slow and speeds up later. Cars that can precondition the battery on the way to a fast charger reach full speed much sooner.

The rate is shown on the station and in the app before you start. It is normally a price per kWh, sometimes with a starting fee, and at some locations a connection fee per hour once charging has finished. What you end up paying also depends on your own charge card provider.

The rate on the station covers the electricity and the spot. Your charge card provider can add its own start fee, a surcharge per kWh, roaming costs or a monthly subscription on top of it. Those extras sit on their invoice, not on the station, so their support desk is the one that can explain the difference.

When you pay directly by card, the bank temporarily blocks a fixed amount to check that there is enough balance. It is a reservation, not a payment. Once the session is settled, the real amount is taken and the rest is released, usually within a few working days.

A small amount per hour that starts after the car has stopped charging. It exists so a full car does not occupy a charging spot all day. Move the car when it is done and you never pay it.

If you charge with a card or an app, your provider invoices you, usually once a month with all your sessions on it. If you paid on the spot by bank card or QR code, you get a receipt by email or on the payment page right after the session ends.

Yes, at stations with a QR code or a payment terminal on the socket. Scan, pay with your bank card or wallet, and charge without an account. Ad hoc rates are usually somewhat higher than charging with a card.

All common charge cards from Dutch and European providers, through the standard roaming networks. If your card is activated for public charging, it works on these stations.

Usually the card is not activated for public stations yet, has been blocked, or the provider has a temporary outage. Try a second card or the QR code on the socket, then contact your provider with the station ID and the time, because only they can see why the card was refused.

In the app or portal of your charge card provider. It lists start and end time, the kWh and the cost per session. Business drivers can usually export a whole month at once for expense claims.

Block it with your provider straight away, because anyone holding it can charge on your account. They will send a replacement. Until it arrives, use their app or the QR payment on the station.

For AC charging, nearly every car in Europe uses Type 2 and you bring your own cable. For DC fast charging, the cable is attached to the station: CCS for almost all cars, CHAdeMO for a few older models.

At AC stations, yes. Fast chargers always have the cable attached, so there you only need the car.

Only if the cable was the bottleneck. A 1-phase 16A cable limits you to about 3.7 kW even on a 22 kW station, so a 3-phase 32A cable helps there. If the car itself accepts only 7.4 kW, no cable will change that.

Yes. Connectors and stations are built and tested for outdoor use in any weather. Just keep the connector out of puddles and mud, and close the flap on the station when you are done.