CCS fastcharging station spotted in Drongen (Texaco station)

[Ci3ndy]

For all the Belgian i3 owners, or i3 owning visitors, I have spotted the first CCS fast charging station at the Texaco in Drongen (Ghent) along the E40 motorway. I was very happy as it will allow me to take my i3 to the Belgian coast and back. I am very eager to use it and to see how long it will take me to charge the batteries fully.
On the other side, the CCS was not on any NAV map, BMW or other, so I wonder how many other there are ( they hide them well behind the gas stations)... please let me know if you know of other CCS stations. BTW, I find that BMW BELUX could bring us up to date of these kind of things .....

 

[Lecram]

Couldn't The Plugin company tell you that?

 

[Ci3ndy]

I have sent them an email for more info. I am waiting for the reply.

 

[XXL]

Je moet bij the plugincompany een badge aanvragen. Voorlopig factureert Texaco nog niet aan de gebruikers, dus is het laden aan de paal nu nog gratis !
Allen daarheen

 

[GMac67]

Je moet bij the plugincompany een badge aanvragen. Voorlopig factureert Texaco nog niet aan de gebruikers, dus is het laden aan de paal nu nog gratis !
Allen daarheen

Ik was vandaag in de buurt van Gent, maar ik kon het oplaadstation niet vinden. Geen Texaco in Dongen of ergens anders in de buurt van Gent. The Plugincompany vermeldt dat ie in Dongen zit, maar hij heet Texaco Service Station E40.... Iemand info hier over?

 

[Ci3ndy]

Hallo, aan de achterkant van het benzinestation langs de E40.
Wij zijn er per toeval op gevallen, want hij is goed verstopt.
Er staan wel bordjes met een stekker op om de weg te wijzen. Er is een soort wegrestaurant,
En als je daar op het terras gaat, dan zie je ze.

 

[GMac67]

@Ci3ndy, bedankt. Ik zal de volgende keer nog eens kijken of ik het wel kan vinden. Het zit niet helemaal op de route terug naar NL.

 

[psquare]

Ci3ndy and GMac67,

I've just found this by googling "E40 Drongen" and noticed it's the BMW i3 forum I regularly use!

Am I right in assuming that you have used this charger? Is there a CCS in both directions? Seems to me there are chargers on both sides, but not sure whether there is also CCS when heading towards Brussels.

I've tried to contact ThePluginCompany, but am getting no replies. I've got a ChargeYourCar card and a TheNewMotion (B) laadkaart. Will the TNM card work?

Thanks!

M

 

[Ci3ndy]

Hello, There is a CCS fast charger in both directions from and to Brussels on the E40 in Drongen, although I have never used them I have seen them and spoken to i3 drivers who have used them. There is also one in Aalst (closer to Brussels) at the IBIS hotel next to the Aalst-exit of the E40 coming from Brussels, this one works, we have used it. BMWi Belgium is also installing fast chargers, there are 2 new ones close to Antwerp at the Carrefour of Schoten and Zwijndrecht. For these last 2, you can use the ChargeNow card, but for the ones in Drongen and Aalst you need a card from The Plugin Cy or also you can send an sms or was it a QRcode (but when we tried that before we had the Plugin Cy card, it did not work...)

 

[psquare]

Hello, There is a CCS fast charger in both directions from and to Brussels on the E40 in Drongen, although I have never used them I have seen them and spoken to i3 drivers who have used them. There is also one in Aalst (closer to Brussels) at the IBIS hotel next to the Aalst-exit of the E40 coming from Brussels, this one works, we have used it. BMWi Belgium is also installing fast chargers, there are 2 new ones close to Antwerp at the Carrefour of Schoten and Zwijndrecht. For these last 2, you can use the ChargeNow card, but for the ones in Drongen and Aalst you need a card from The Plugin Cy or also you can send an sms or was it a QRcode (but when we tried that before we had the Plugin Cy card, it did not work...)

Thanks, Ci3ndy. Top info.

TPC got back to me and I am currently sorting out an account/App/QRCode access. Both Drongen Texacos have CCS, I've been told.

Interesting about the IBIS in Aalst. Is it CCS, too? Customers-only? I have found details on the IBIS website about it, but it only says it is free.

 

[Ci3ndy]

Hello again, the one is Aalst is also CCS and it is also from TPC, same access as for the ones in Drongen. You can get to it without problem, it is in front of the Ibis hotel you do not have to pass any barriers.

 

[psquare]

excellent stuff, thanks!

My trip to Germany is taking shape now. Wouldn't be a problem with the REx anyway, but main aim is to make it fully electric there and back

P

 

[psquare]

Not quite sure I understand the charges/access for TPC. They charge €75 p.a. for the card, but the QR Code access is free? Or do you need to send a SMS message to enable, which is charged at a higher rate?

P

 

[Ci3ndy]

Latest info I had a few months ago was that charging was still free but I also did pay for the card (but not 75 Euro! It was less...).
I suppose they will have to start charging people at some time....
I do not know about sms or Qr code costs, as it did not work when I was there...
Good luck with your trip to Germany! We are going to try to get to Zeeland in the Netherlands this year (we have no Rex but we have ccs so in the NL they have plenty of chargers for us!)

 

[RUBi3]

Hello, There is a CCS fast charger in both directions from and to Brussels on the E40 in Drongen, although I have never used them I have seen them and spoken to i3 drivers who have used them. There is also one in Aalst (closer to Brussels) at the IBIS hotel next to the Aalst-exit of the E40 coming from Brussels, this one works, we have used it. BMWi Belgium is also installing fast chargers, there are 2 new ones close to Antwerp at the Carrefour of Schoten and Zwijndrecht. For these last 2, you can use the ChargeNow card, but for the ones in Drongen and Aalst you need a card from The Plugin Cy or also you can send an sms or was it a QRcode (but when we tried that before we had the Plugin Cy card, it did not work...)

I tried the charger in Aalst in front of the Ibis hotel. It works fine and charging is fast (50 km in 10 min.)
In Brussels I charged several times this weekend at the building of Electrabel (Simon Bolivarlaan 34). There is a charger with a AC plug, Chademo and CCS. Taxi drivers use mostly the AC plug, so the CCS plug was always free for my i3. You don't need a card to identify. Just enter the pin code indicated on the charger.
Charging is free !! In 30 min. you can recharge almost completely your i3. Great !!!
I also tried the charger of TOTAL in Ruisbroek on the A8 (direction Brussels). It was out of order :evil:
Pictures on my google+ account :
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+StevenDaltonMrCabriola25/posts

 

[Ci3ndy]

Thank you for the update ! I will certainly try the one at Electrabel in Brussels soon ! I have seen that at the Total station in Ruisbroek, the installation looked old and unkempt (and was not functioning...)
We ventured out to the Belgian coast yesterday (+/- 305 km return trip), re-charged in Drongen Texaco CCS OK to 90% in +/- 30 mins (direction Oostende), when we came back and tried to charge in Drongen Texaco direction Brussels, it did not work either !! I was very unhappy as I relied on it (battery was low) as there is nowhere decent in Oostende to charge your car. We first had to slow charge for +/- 45 mins as we did not know how far it was to turn back to the Texaco in the direction of Oostende.
I have written an email this morning to the Plugin Cy to announce them that their CCS is not working. If this electric (BEV) business is to be adopted by more people in the near future (when we are charging at CCS or L2 we have always interested people coming up to us to ask us questions and they seem very interested) then we need to be able to rely on the existing CCS installations, and even have more along the major axes (highways, cinema's, shopping centers, etc...) I am afraid that otherwise, it will not work (not the full electric version anyway).

 

[psquare]

We ventured out to the Belgian coast yesterday (+/- 305 km return trip), re-charged in Drongen Texaco CCS OK to 90% in +/- 30 mins (direction Oostende), when we came back and tried to charge in Drongen Texaco direction Brussels, it did not work either !! I was very unhappy as I relied on it (battery was low) as there is nowhere decent in Oostende to charge your car. We first had to slow charge for +/- 45 mins as we did not know how far it was to turn back to the Texaco in the direction of Oostende.

You probably did not realise this, but the Hotel Ibis charger in Aalst is accessible from both sides, so you can simply come off the E40 in any case. If I have the time, I always do a little "safety-charge" at a previous charging point before I reach the one where I actually intend to charge. This is just to give me a little boost in case I have any nasty surprises further down the road. But as I said, this is only possible if you have time and are on your own (my family are not as obsessed about charge points like me

 

[Ci3ndy]

Yes, I know that Aalst is a motorway exit and you can hence arrive at the Ibis hotel from both directions, but yesterday we were near Ghent (Drongen Texaco gas station in the direction of Brussels) and there, there is no immediate highway exit to turn around again to the Texaco in the other direction....

 

[psquare]

Yes, I know that Aalst is a motorway exit and you can hence arrive at the Ibis hotel from both directions, but yesterday we were near Ghent (Drongen Texaco gas station in the direction of Brussels) and there, there is no immediate highway exit to turn around again to the Texaco in the other direction....

got ya.