Charging card for an electric car: what is it and how does it work?

What is a charge card?

A charge card is a card or key fob that is needed to start/end the charging of an electric car. You can request a charge card free of charge from one of the many providers. The charge card is in the name of a person or company and the costs for charging are automatically charged.

How do you use a charge card?

If you want to charge an electric car, you have to scan the charge card in the right place to start charging. Sometimes the charging point is equipped with a screen on which information is shown, but there are also many charging points in the Netherlands where only a light comes on in a certain color. For example, if the color changes from green to blue, you know that charging has started. When you have finished charging, scan the charge card again along the charging station. Then the color of the light changes and the charging cable is unlocked (you will hear a click). Then you can pull the plug.

How do you pay for charging?

In principle, you always pay afterwards. The charge card is in the name of a person or company and the costs of charging are automatically invoiced. Usually you will receive an invoice once a month for all charging costs of the past weeks or the costs will be automatically debited.

How much does a charge card cost?

Although the charge card itself can be requested free of charge, you do pay for its use. Depending on the provider, you pay monthly subscription costs, a small amount per kWh or a small amount per charging session.

Can I use my charge card everywhere?

Where you can use the charge card differs per provider. Some only offer access to charge points of their own organization, or only within the Netherlands. But there are also providers where you can use the same charge card at tens of thousands of charge points from all kinds of different providers throughout Europe.

Which charge card should I have?

There are now quite a few providers of charge cards. All these providers have their own rates and conditions. Which one you should have depends on your situation and needs. Therefore, do a good comparative study of the different charge cards before you make a choice. Need help? Look at loadpastop10.nl .

Can I also charge without a charge card?

There are more and more operators of charge points where you can use an app to start a charging session. In that app you first have to create an account and link your bank account number or credit card once. In addition, the first charging points (usually fast chargers) are now appearing where you can pay contactless with your debit or credit card if you do not have a charging card or suitable app at hand.