Largest charging station in Europe located at Colruyt Group in Halle

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Colruyt Group has recently completed the expansion of the existing charging station at the parking lot of its headquarters in Halle. With the installation of 118 new charging points from DATS 24, the entire charging station at the 'Wilgenveld' site now boasts a total of 326 charging points.This makes it the largest charging station in Europe, a remarkable achievement for the internal technics team of the retail group. After certification by long-time partner Vinçotte, the charging station can now be used safely by Colruyt Group co-workers as well as the residents and visitors of Halle.

Pioneering role in the transition to greener mobility

The DATS 24 charging infrastructure at the Colruyt Group headquarters at Edingensesteenweg 196 now has 326 charging points, including one for people with disabilities (a unique feature) and 17 for office visitors. Users can also charge their cars at a 60kW fast-charging point and one of 150kW with two 75kW charging points.

A team from Colruyt Group Technics & Real Estate managed the entire project, from the study and needs analysis to installation and electrical expansion. Maxime Ndao, Project Engineer at Colruyt Group Technics, explains: "The fact that we are expanding to become the largest charging station in Europe in terms of technology, construction, and engineering, and that we have completed this entirely in-house within just three months, is something we are extremely proud of. We continue to optimise and innovate: for example, our technical experts have developed an energy management system that controls the green energy flow to each charging point based on availability."

This marks a new milestone in the role Colruyt Group wants to play as a sustainable company and as a pioneer of green mobility in the broadest sense. In addition to the existing ambitions for Zero Emission Transport for freight transport, this greening naturally applies to regular passenger transport as well.

Appropriate infrastructure for Colruyt Group’s growing green fleet

Since 2017, Colruyt Group has been offering electric cars to its co-workers, and the group has gradually expanded this offering. ​ Currently, almost the entire fleet is electric.

Liesbeth Sabbe, HR Director at Colruyt Group, adds: "Today, about 90% of our fleet is fully electric, and around 65-70% of co-workers opt for an electric car. Of course, we support the federal government's goal to fully transition to a 100% zero-emission company car fleet by 2026. Co-workers entitled to a company car will only be able to choose a 'full electric' car from next year. An appropriate infrastructure is, of course, necessary for this. This enormous charging station is an important step forward in that regard."

DATS 24 Continues to expand charging infrastructure across the country

For DATS 24, now part of the energy company Virya Energy Group, this is yet another remarkable achievement in its roll-out of as many charging points as possible across the country: it aims to become one of the largest charging point operators in Belgium. Bart Frison, Head of EV Charging at DATS 24, states: "In addition to our roll-out at Colruyt store car parks, which we recently announced, the completion of this project is another accomplishment we can be very proud of. It fits into our ambitious plans to install at least 10,000 public charging points in Belgium over the next five years."

Additional charging infrastructure for residents and visitors of Halle

The opening comes at a perfect time with the holidays approaching. People can do their Christmas shopping in the city while their car is charged just a stone’s throw away from the commercial centre. "The charging infrastructure at Wilgenveld is a semi-public charging square, which is an asset for Halle. As a city, we are extremely happy with a player like Colruyt Group that continues to innovate on our territory," said Halle mayor Eva Demesmaeker.

The fact that there is a charging point specifically for people with disabilities is a unique feature. "Colruyt Group has always had a close connection with Halle. It’s great that we can give something back to the city in the form of easily accessible charging infrastructure," adds Liesbeth Sabbe.

Charging safely thanks to long-time partner Vinçotte

For long-time partner Vinçotte, this is also a special achievement. The two companies have worked together for decades, and Vinçotte is responsible for the inspection of 475 high-voltage cabins and 4,000 low-voltage panels at various Colruyt Group buildings annually. ​ "At Vinçotte, we are again proud to collaborate with Colruyt Group on this groundbreaking project. With our expertise in safety inspections, we ensure that this innovative infrastructure not only runs smoothly but also remains maximally safe. Together, we are building the future of sustainable mobility!" says Tom Kelemen of Vinçotte.

The press release from 2022 about the first phase of the charging infrastructure can be found here.

For more information please contact:

• For Colruyt Group: Press Service Colruyt Group – press@colruytrgroup.com / 0473 92 45 10
• For DATS 24 / Virya Energy Group: Vedran Horvat - vedran.horvat@virya-energy.com - DATS24
• For Vinçotte: Tom Kelemen - tkelemen@vincotte.be
• For the city of Halle: Mayor Eva Demesmaeker - eva.demesmaeker@halle.be