In Amsterdam, you can now earn money by charging your electric car – Here’s how it works

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These are the messages that make you happy in tough economic times, when everything seems to be getting more expensive. You read it correctly: in Amsterdam, you can earn money by hooking up your car to a public charging station. The principle is simple: if you connect your electric car to one of the 1,700 Equans charging stations in Amsterdam, you can get money back. That amount can range from a few cents to 20 euros per charging session, depending on market conditions.

Why?

“Market conditions?”, we hear you thinking. Because you may be wondering why you can make money by charging. Power costs money, right? True, but unused power also costs money. Sometimes there is more power available than there is demand for. The power supplier is left with it and that costs them money. They like to reward EV drivers who buy power at those times and charge their cars. Just like doing laundry at night is often cheaper than during the day.

In addition, a reward system helps stagger charging times. If everyone starts charging at the same time – for example, as soon as everyone gets home from work – the power grid gets overloaded. By offering people money at certain times, they change their charging behavior. At least, that’s the thinking.

How it works.

To keep a pocket change on a charge, charge with an ANWB charge card and use the ANWB app. Through the app, you specify in advance how long you plan to charge. The app then tells you approximately what you will earn during the charging session.

Maarten Hachmang, e-mobility expert and entrepreneur at LaadpasTop10.nl, tested the system himself today in Amsterdam, he reports on LinkedIn: “I only had to indicate in the ANWB app how long I was going to charge. No hassle with additional apps, no worries about penalty fees or turning off the charging station,” Hachmang said. Although his short two-hour charging session didn’t make any money, the experience was positive. “Since I’m only going to charge for two hours, the app did warn me that this is too short for a fee, but I don’t mind that much, it’s all about the test after all.”

A trial with a future

For now, you can only earn money charging in Amsterdam, but if the trial proves successful, expansion to the rest of the Netherlands is a logical next step. A win-win situation, it seems to us: the EV driver saves money and the power grid is relieved.

Also read: Why a Dutch experiment with charging stations that barely supply power is a huge success