The province of Zeeland asked Over Morgen to map the demand for public charging infrastructure in 2025 and where it could be concentrated. We were also asked to build a roadmap with specific, concrete steps towards the implementation of an adequate charging infrastructure in the most suitable and accessible locations.
The challenge for Zeeland is unique: due to the large number of tourists in the province, the amount of vehicles on the streets increases by 25 percent in the high season compared to the rest of the year. Moreover, many of these visitors will drive an electric car to the province in the coming years. If this large number of tourists has to rely on charging infrastructure which has been designed for locals and occasional visitors only, there will be considerable pressure on the charging network in certain times of the year.
Our solution
Over Morgen has mapped the future demand with the EV Prognose Atlas, a tool designed to project the estimated increase in electric vehicles in different municipalities. By means of a heat map, this chart shows at first glance how large the demand for (public) charging infrastructure will be in 2025 and from which consumer group it will be generated.
For the province of Zeeland we have carried out a complementary analysis to determine where tourists tend to concentrate and their preferred locations for accommodation. This is based on the consideration that it is more convenient to give tourists the possibility to charge their e-vehicle close to their accommodation and allow them to go on short rides to the nearby sights without creating the need to install charging infrastructure in those locations as well.
This means that we will aim at installing charging infrastructure in holiday resorts, camping sites, hotels and in the big car parks for beach visitors. The roadmap outlines the process to follow. This is just part of the task at hand, because the regular traffic of residents and commuters also generates a demand for charging facilities. Our area-specific strategy offers a viable solution; it provides the municipalities in Zeeland with a policy approach leading to a future-proof, extended charging network that can grow to reach the necessary capacity by 2025 and beyond.
The following step in this process is the designation of suitable locations in advance, based on the chosen installation criteria and the EV Prognosis Atlas. By choosing the locations beforehand, the municipalities can shorten and simplify the construction process considerably. Over Morgen will also provide consulting services to the province in this matter.