In Europe, practically all governments and cities have measures to promote the purchase and use of electric cars. That includes incentives, but also penalties for those who do not do what they must. The latest example is that of Brussels, which has decided to tighten the rules for the use of public charging points to prevent drivers from occupying spaces for longer than necessary.

Starting October 1, 2026, the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region will apply a new rotation fee of €0.06 per minute to drivers who keep their vehicle connected for more than six hours at a public charging station. The measure will be in force between 09:00 and 22:00, leaving the night section free, and its objective is to improve the availability of the infrastructure, whose demand continues to grow due to the constant increase in the number of zero-emission vehicles that circulate on its streets.

Busy chargers not in use

The initiative aims to solve one of the main problems associated with the expansion of electric cars in large cities: the prolonged use of chargers once recharging is complete. Users simply leave their cars parked at the point even when they have been fully charged, preventing others from refilling their batteries.

According to data from the Brussels electricity grid operator, Sibelga, vehicles remain connected for an average of six and a half hours, when a typical recharge of about 18 kWh only requires two hours and twenty minutes. This difference causes many charging points to remain blocked for hours and become virtually unusable.

The Secretary of State for Energy in Brussels, Audrey Henry, has defended the introduction of this rate, recalling that “charging stations are not parking spaces” and, together with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Ans Persoons, seeks that the regulation encourages more efficient use of the existing infrastructure without the need to immediately increase the number of installations.

A good measure, which remains halfway

Although the intention is good and it will be effective, the reality is that it will not be completely efficient either. The new rate will not be applied from the moment the vehicle reaches 100% charge, as some private providers do, but when it has remained connected for more than six hours. In this way, although it will be a deterrent, depending on the amount of energy a car needs for that specific recharge, it is possible that it will be blocking the station for, for example, three additional hours in which it will not be charging as such.

Furthermore, the cost is not exaggerated either since, with 6 cents per minute, it is equivalent to 3.60 euros for each additional hour of occupancy, a figure whose deterrent power is limited. Despite this, the authorities hope that the new measure will encourage drivers to remove their vehicles once recharging is complete and thus increase the turnover at public points.

Brussels currently has 9,779 public charging points and maintains the goal of reaching 22,000 operational stations by 2035. However, the administration considers that expanding the network will not be enough if user behavior does not also change. The situation is especially relevant in a city where only around 10% of homes have a private garage in which to install a home charger, so a large portion of electric vehicle owners depend on public infrastructure to charge them.

In parallel, the growth of the electric vehicle fleet in the Belgian capital is constant. Currently, approximately 1 in 4 new cars registered in the region are completely electric and electrification is even more intense in the business sector, where 61% of new company vehicles are already battery-powered. Both factors combine to create an increasingly tense climate that this measure seeks to alleviate, even in part.