The switch to electric driving is in full swing in Amsterdam. The city government is consistently working to make the air cleaner and healthier. As part of the climate objectives of the city of Amsterdam, the City of Amsterdam targets CO2 emissions to be 60 percent lower in 2030 than in the baseline year 1990.
For some time now, the city government has been facilitating the transition from fossil-fuel-powered to zero-emission vehicles by way of an extensive network of public charging infrastructure.
In 2023, Equans, a global leader in the energy and services sector and a reliable partner for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, along with GreenFlux, won an opportunity to operate 2,500 public charging stations in the country’s capital city. ‘This is the first major concession we have become aware of, leading to the takeover of all charging stations from one operator to another. We will be managing these for the next eight years,’ said Mark van den Berg, Project Manager, E-mobility, at Equans.
These public charging stations are spread across Amsterdam, some in busy tourist-filled streets and others close to the canals. ‘A few of these at NDSM and Singel had a lot of graffiti and stickers pasted on them. These charging stations look like works of art. We are planning to convert them into art pieces,’ said Mark.
Let us look at the story behind this large-scale project.
Road to efficient EV charging infrastructure
In 2022, the Amsterdam municipality was looking for a reliable charge point operator (CPO) to manage most of the public charging network in the city. The government body had a strict set of requirements, and the processes were thorough. With over 20,000 electric drivers in mind, the city aimed for a reliable, functional, and seamless public charging experience.
‘With its goal to transition to zero-emission mobility, the Amsterdam municipality wanted the best hardware and latest technology. It had high requirements for durability in the future and the ability to work with the latest protocols. For instance, the municipality wanted price transparency for drivers and top-notch cyber security to protect the public charging network,' explained Mark.
Equans won the concession to manage the public network based on its in-depth research and offering a combination of the best hardware and software partners. The transition of 2,500 charging stations was then done in different phases.
The initial stage involved taking over the charging stations, encompassing a technical inspection, functional testing, sticker replacement, and QR code updates to minimise the impact on EV drivers. For this, the technical teams were driving around the tiny streets filled with bikers, next to canals, to make the transition a success. This phase also included migrating the charging stations' back-end platform to the GreenFlux platform.
‘The operation was done in quite a challenging environment, especially because it was in Amsterdam. The mechanics usually have a van with them, but there is little space to park. Then the streets are usually crowded with people and traffic. Also, some of the charging stations were right next to canals. We had to get swimming gear ready for such spots,’ remembered Mark.
The second phase was the upgrading process. This was a retrofit project involving the replacement of all ageing charging stations, some of which were over a decade old, with technologically advanced Alfen hardware. And, the final phase involved making the entire network ready for public use.
Connected to a smarter energy future
We are told the software platform plays a vital role in winning a concession and managing the public charging stations!
‘Especially when the municipality's requirements are high, such as in the case of Amsterdam, software providers play a key role,’ said Mark. ‘We made sure GreenFlux was involved in the entire concession process right from the start. We wanted to make realistic, yet ambitious, promises.’
We supported Equans with appropriate progress checks, including accurate timelines for the required deliveries.
'In that way, GreenFlux really helped us in winning the concession and making sure we delivered what we promised.'
A few of the many requirements from the Amsterdam municipality that we helped fulfil included:
Highest level of cybersecurity and information security
Equans chose us as security is one of the core pillars and backbone of GreenFlux’s business. We are ISO 27001-certified and compliant with the latest security standards.
Advanced smart charging capabilities
In Amsterdam, roughly half of the major distribution stations face grid congestion. Energy management ensures that more charging stations are operational on the same grid connection. GreenFlux is a pioneer in smart charging and offers advanced capabilities to its CPO customers. We supply Equans with our advanced capacity management solution, enabling them to effectively manage the maximum power consumption of the public charging network. Our solution intelligently regulates the charging rate of EVs to reduce the overall demand and avoid expensive grid expansion.
Price transparency
With the new AFIR regulations ready to be implemented in April 2024, price transparency has been a top concern for some time. We adhere to the upcoming price transparency regulations as stated by AFIR in accordance with OCPI and OCPP protocols, ensuring the charging price is visible to EV drivers.
Compatibility with protocols
The Amsterdam municipality also had a lot of technical requirements, aiming for a future-proof solution to ensure technical compatibility with upcoming protocols and standards. And for that, Equans chose the GreenFlux and Alfen combination.
Mark added, ‘Together with Alfen and GreenFlux, we were confident that we would deliver the best user experience and meet all the safety and operational standards this project needed.’
The Amsterdam municipality was interested in functionalities and benefits to simplify EV charging for EV drivers. Equans has previously worked with GreenFlux, and the experience came in handy. ‘Apart from efficient solutions and services, GreenFlux provided us with a Customer Success Manager who was always available to answer all our concerns,' said Mark.
'On top of that, we received attention from their Security Officer, so we received up-to-date information about cybersecurity as well, which was a big plus for us.'
City of Canals and EV Charging Stations
The Netherlands boasts over 120,000 charging points, including public and semi-public, and more than 500,000 electric cars on the road, states the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
Out of these, Amsterdam is the city with the highest number of charging points (12,197) in Europe, followed by London with 10,781, and Rotterdam with 7,762 in early 2024.
‘One of the coolest facts that a lot of people in the Netherlands might not realise is that the public charging network in Amsterdam is the densest and most used AC public infrastructure in the entire world. There is no place in the world other than Amsterdam where there are so many public charging stations in such a small area. This project was challenging but also a lot of fun. I am proud that we made it a success along with GreenFlux.’
Equans and GreenFlux have a well-established communication structure in place. And the technical teams of both companies regularly meet to discuss the road map. ‘This is what we need from a partner. I am sure this collaboration and smooth working dynamics will help us with future projects too.’
The number of public charging stations managed by Equans and GreenFlux will be doubled as the partners install 3,000 additional charging stations in Amsterdam in 2024.
If your organisation is interested in applying for public concessions to implement reliable EV charging infrastructure, we at GreenFlux would love to hear from you. We believe together we can develop solutions that are beneficial for everyone, avoid grid congestion due to the rising number of EVs, and smoothly transition towards sustainable mobility for all.
