Disadvantages of Single-Phase and Three-Phase Connections:

Conclusion:

When choosing between a single-phase and three-phase connection for your electric car in Flanders, several considerations come into play. A single-phase connection can be cost-effective, especially if you are already benefiting from the capacity tariff and are willing to charge more slowly. A three-phase connection provides fast charging but requires careful planning to avoid peak loads.

Your ultimate choice depends on your driving habits, charging needs, and budget. It's essential to take these factors into account when selecting the right connection for your electric car to strike an optimal balance between speed, cost, and convenience.

At what rate will I be reimbursed for home charging?

If you have a home charge point through your employer, and it is linked to the Stroohm LMS platform, you are probably entitled to a refund for charging sessions.

In this article, we explain how this works and at what rates you get a refund based on the CREG rates, a rate at which varies monthly according to fluctuations in energy prices to stay as close as possible to market reality.

HOW DO ELECTRICITY PRICES WORK?

As in other products, there are different markets for buying electricity. To hedge your needs (baseload) in the future, you can buy on ENDEX. For short-term markets, there is BELPEX to have enough for your consumption on an hourly basis. And then there is the imbalance market on a quarterly basis that gives prices. Quite a complex business.
As a consumer, there are not 1 but 3 different prices for residential on the Belgian market as green power certificates depend on each region. After all, there are no windmills and few solar panels in Brussels so prices are always lower in this region.
Also important to understand is that the market price for a variable contract is only known after the end of the month. After all, it is a monthly average for that month. The CREG can only publish this after the end. So you can never apply January's tariff to January because it was not yet known. We are obliged to always apply past tariffs to the current month. Consequently, there is some delay on refunds. With rising prices, you get underpaid first. In the case of falling prices, you are still over-refunded afterwards. That's how the system works. In addition, there is no click system on electricity, so residential prices also fall back completely when wholesale prices fall.
We work exclusively with the CREG tariffs that calculate average tariffs in the market for a family with a single meter and 8000kWh annual consumption (page 5 of the boardtable, bottom table). So there are cheaper but also more expensive supply contracts available in the market. CREG relies only on new supply contracts, while older fixed contracts are significantly lower currently.

HOW DOES STROOHM CALCULATE THE TARIFF PER KWH?

The tariffs are based on CREG board tariffs, we take a 3-month average, with a 2-month lag, based on the rule below:

the three (3) month average prices of August, September, October of year N-1 form the basis for the reimbursement of electricity consumed during the first quarter of year N.

the three (3) month average prices of November, December of year N-1 and January N form the basis for reimbursement of electricity consumed during the second quarter of year N.

the three (3) month average prices of February, March, April of year N form the basis for the reimbursement of electricity consumed during the third quarter of year N.

the three (3) month average prices of May, June, July of year N form the basis for the reimbursement of the electricity consumed during the fourth quarter of year N.

In October 2022, for example, this is about 41 cents incl VAT for Flanders, based on the May/June/July 2022 average, and this continues until the end of December 2022. From 1 January 2023, the August/September/October average will then apply.

The tariff based on the recently introduced capacity tariff found on page 5 (highest value average commercial electricity price (all in) between "classic counter with EV" and "digital counter with EV") has been applied since the beginning of 2023.

Home charging rate period October/November/December 2022 (applicable to fixed charge points on the Stroohm Last Mile Solutions platform)

Flanders 0.41
Wallonia 0.43
Brussels 0.40
(prices incl VAT, in euro per kWh and incl all taxes)

Home charge tariff period January/February/March 2023 (applicable to fixed charge points on the Stroohm Last Mile Solutions platform)

Flanders 0.59
Wallonia 0.63
Brussels 0.58
(prices incl VAT, in euro per kWh and incl all taxes)

Home charge tariff period April/May/June 2023 (applicable to fixed charge points on the Stroohm Last Mile Solutions platform)

Flanders 0.55
Wallonia 0.60
Brussels 0.54
(prices incl VAT, in euro per kWh and incl all taxes)

Home charge tariff period July/August/September 2023 (applicable to fixed charge points on the Stroohm Last Mile Solutions platform)

Flanders 0.39
Wallonia 0.45
Brussels 0.41
(prices incl VAT, in euro per kWh and incl all taxes)

Home charge tariff period October/November/December 2023 (applicable to fixed charge points on the Stroohm Last Mile Solutions platform)

Flanders 0.30
Wallonia 0.36
Brussels 0.32
(prices incl VAT, in euro per kWh and incl all taxes)

Home charge tariff period Jan/Feb/March 2024 (applicable to fixed charge points on the Stroohm Last Mile Solutions platform)

Flanders 0.30
Wallonia 0.36
Brussels 0.32
(prices incl VAT, in euro per kWh and incl all taxes)

Home charge tariff period Apr/May/June 2024 (applicable to fixed charge points on the Stroohm Last Mile Solutions platform)

Flanders 0.30
Wallonia 0.37
Brussels 0.33
(prices incl VAT, in euro per kWh and incl all taxes)

The delay of 2 months is a buffer for the availability of the CREG board table, as it is not always published with a fixed regularity.
https://www.creg.be/nl/professionals/marktwerking-en-monitoring/boordtabel

BEV, PHEV, HEV, FCEV, ICE - what do these abbreviations stand for?

There are several types of electric vehicles, each with its own abbreviation:

• BEV or FEV - Battery/Full Electric Vehicle
  • A 100% electric car with a battery and a plug.
• PHEV - Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
  • A car that can run on both fuel and electricity, with a battery and a plug. However, the electric range of a plug-in hybrid is limited.
• FCEV - Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
  • A hydrogen fuel cell electric car.

In contrast, there is the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), which refers to conventional diesel and gasoline cars.

Do not confuse a full electric car with an HEV - Hybrid Electric Vehicle: that is a car that runs on fuel and partly on electricity that is recovered when the car decelerates or brakes. An HEV does not have a plug.

In September 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Belgium installed its first public bi-directional charging point. In April 2021, the first bi-directional charging plaza with ABB equipment was installed at SWECO, thanks to subsidies from the Flemish government. Recently, a private individual also invested in a Wallbox bi-directional charging point. So, bi-directional charging isn't entirely new. The question now is whether the rise of bi-directional charging points is unstoppable, and will we all have one soon to use our car's battery as a home battery pack? Or is this trend still a relatively limited phenomenon? Stroohm investigates the current situation and any remaining hurdles.

What is a bi-directional charger?

Bi-directional charging technology allows you to both charge and discharge your car. This means you can power your home or the electricity grid with your car's battery. With this type of charging point, you can store solar energy during the day in your car's battery and later use it yourself or sell it at a premium during peak times. Note: Your car must be compatible with this feature! Currently, only the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, and older Kia Soul models support this, as they use an older connector called "CHADEMO." The modern CCS connectors used in all current vehicles are not yet compatible with these bi-directional charging points. In other words, they are not yet usable for 99% of electric vehicles. There are whispers that some cars are technically equipped for this but are software-locked until a clear framework for activation is established.

What is required by the grid operator?

The grid operator federation Synergrid manages a list of all approved inverters that are allowed to inject electricity into the grid. This includes inverters for solar panels and now bi-directional charging points. You can find this list in document C10/26, where the Wallbox Quasar has recently been approved. There is also a reporting requirement for charging points with your grid operator. For safety reasons, bi-directional charging points must stop injecting power into the grid during maintenance work. Therefore, make sure to check which charging points are allowed to be installed.

Cost

Bi-directional chargers are not yet sold and installed in large quantities, and with a cost of €5,775, this new technology is significantly more expensive than a conventional charging point (€750 to €1,200). You won't be able to recover the additional cost since you cannot optimize €5,000 worth of electricity with your battery yet. Once hourly rates are introduced, we will reach this turning point more quickly. Today, a cost of up to €3,000 is considered a financially viable investment. If frequent power outages occur, this investment is also associated with a comfort aspect, as your car can power your home for up to a week. This is why Japan encouraged the bi-directional charging of Nissan Leafs after shutting down their nuclear power plants.

Employer & Tax Authorities

Employees who think they can charge their car cheaply at the office to reduce their home energy bill will likely find it challenging to do so discreetly. Their electricity consumption will increase significantly. A good car policy includes clear agreements. In most cases, it will not be allowed to charge electricity at the office for private purposes. However, if the employer permits this, tax authorities may have a different opinion. This could be considered a fringe benefit that will be taxed, negating the benefit. Therefore, according to Stroohm, company fleets are more likely to discourage bi-directional charging due to the potential administrative and monitoring burdens.

Leasing Company and Warranty

Most electric vehicles are also company cars. Since bi-directional charging affects battery aging, leasing companies are unlikely to accept it (as they own the car!). Resale value is a crucial element in their pricing. Contracts are currently based on kilometers driven rather than the number of battery cycles. Automakers are not prepared for this either since their warranties are determined by kilometers driven. Stroohm expects many adjustments and limitations in terms of use and warranty from this perspective, which will limit implementation.

Conclusion

There are still several adjustments needed in the fleet sector to make bi-directional charging points common in professional fleets. However, it is clear that this technology will eventually prevail due to its many benefits for the energy transition.

Author: Bart Massin

Due to some specific Bluetooth chip settings, some recent smartphones may have some difficulties connecting to other devices via Bluetooth. The smartphones behaving in such a manner identified so far are:

- Huawei P10
- Huawei P20
- Xiaomi Note 10
- Samsung S20

Info

Make sure that your Mobile device is always up to date with the latest firmware.
To update your firmware see the following link: Mobile Firmware Update procedure.

Situation

I enter the Serial Number (SN) of the device successfully, the Bluetooth pairing process does not go through to enable the connection.

Possible cause
The Bluetooth is not activated on your phone.
Solution
Activate Bluetooth on your phone. Try again.

Possible cause
You are to far away from the Mobile.
Solution
Be within a 2m radius to the Mobile. Try again.

Possible cause
You don't have internet on your phone.
Solution
Be sure to activate the internet connection (Wifi or4G) on your phone. Search with your browser to check your internet connection. Try again.

Possible cause
Another phone is already connected to the Mobile.
Solution
Make sure all the smartphones around have Bluetooth disconnected during the pairing process.  

Possible cause
Change the Bluetooth preferences on your phone.
Solution
1. Go to your Bluetooth settings on your phone
2. Unpair all the Mobile Black or Red from your phone (Click on Mobile Black or Red and click on Unpair)
3. Check that no other device is already connected by Bluetooth to your phone
4. Return to the app and try again.

Possible cause
Geolocation has been disabled on your smartphone for the App.
Solution

Enable the location on your smartphone

On IOS devices

1. Go to “Settings” > “Privacy” > hit “Location services”
2. Make sure to toggle “Location services” on
3. Scroll down through the list of apps and select the app
4. Enable the location “Always”
5. Return to the app and retry

On Android devices

1. Go to “Settings” > “Location” > “App permissions”
2. Search the app or scroll down through the list of apps
3. Select the app
4. Enable the location “Allow all the time”
5. Return to the app and retry  

Possible cause
The Bluetooth chip must be rebooted on your phone.
Solution
1. Shut off your phone
2. Turn your phone back on
3. Go to the app and retry  

Due to their specific Bluetooth chip settings, certain phones may have difficulty connecting via Bluetooth to another device.

Such as:

• Huawei P10
• Huawei P20
• Xiaomi Note 10
• Samsung S20

Note: Ensure that your Home device is always updated with the latest firmware. Refer to the "Software Update" documentation on p.40 to update your firmware.

Scenario
I successfully enter the device's SN, but I am stuck at the Bluetooth connection step.

• Possible Cause
  Bluetooth is not enabled on your phone.
  • Solution
    Enable Bluetooth on your phone. Try again.
• Possible Cause
  You are too far away from the Home.
  • Solution
    Ensure that you are within a 2-meter radius of the Home. Try again.
• Possible Cause
  You don't have internet on your phone.
  • Solution
    Make sure you activate the internet connection on your phone. Perform a web search with your browser to check your internet connection. Try again.
• Possible Cause
  Another phone is already connected to the Home.
  • Solution
    Make sure all nearby smartphones have disconnected their Bluetooth connection during the pairing process.
• Possible Cause
  Change Bluetooth preferences on your phone.
  • Solution

1. Go to your phone's Bluetooth settings
2. Unpair the HOME from your phone (Click on HOME and click Unpair).
3. Check if any other device is connected to your phone via Bluetooth.
4. Return to the app and try again.

• Possible Cause
  Geolocation is disabled on your smartphone.
  • Solution
    Enable location on your smartphone.

On iOS Devices

1. Go to "Settings" > "Privacy" > click on "Location Services"
2. Ensure that you enable "Location Services"
3. Scroll down the list of apps and select the app
4. Enable the location "Always"
5. Return to the app and try again.

On Android Devices

1. Go to "Settings" > "Location" > "App permissions".
2. Find the app or scroll down the list of apps
3. Select the app
4. Activate the location "Allow all the time".
5. Return to the app and try again.

• Possible Cause
  You have updated your firmware (1.3.4 or higher), which restarts the Bluetooth connection.
  • Solution

1. Go to your phone's Bluetooth settings
2. Forget all HOME devices on your phone (click on HOME and click Forget)
3. Delete the application from your phone and reinstall it
4. Return to the application and try again.

• Possible Cause
  The Bluetooth chip needs to be restarted on your phone.
  • Solution

1. Power off your phone
2. Turn on your phone
3. Go to the app and try again.

You do this by submitting a request for the “semi-public” formula via your fleet manager, as this involves a higher monthly subscription cost.

Stroohm will adjust the subscription after approval from the fleet manager.
Anyone with a compatible public charging card for an electric car can then charge at your charging station.

See for compatible charging networks: https://stroohmservices.zendesk.com/hc/en-be/articles/5909408021405-Compatible-networks-and-roaming-partners-in-Europe

If a partner wants to charge with a private car without reimbursement from another employer, an extra badge can be created so that charging costs are charged directly to the private party. You can request the extra badge from your fleet manager.