Arval Belgium and Luminus join forces to meet the rising need for charging stations
Mobility solutions company Arval, market leader on the Belgian car leasing market, has now also joined forces with energy supplier Luminus to meet the rush for charging solutions resulting from the accelerated electrification of company car fleets. Almost one in two drivers at Arval Belgium now chooses a car that must be plugged in.
Growing success of electric cars
In the first two months of 2022, Arval Belgium already put 3,654 new company cars on the Belgian roads. Almost 1 in 5 (18%) of these are 100% electric vehicles. The market leader in the Belgian leasing market sees no less than a six-fold increase in the number of electric vehicles in two years' time: in 2021, just over 1 in 8 newly registered vehicles at Arval (12%) were electric, and in 2020, less than 1 in 30 (3%).
"Since 2020, we have seen exponential growth in the number of electric and full hybrid commercial vehicles. To support this significant increase, it is important to quickly provide sufficient charging solutions at the drivers' premises of our customers. Thanks to our partnership with Luminus, one of the largest players in the energy sector, our capacity to quickly provide a suitable charging solution is greatly expanded, in addition to our current partners."
- Laurent Loncke, General Manager of Arval Belgium
Need for charging possibilities will increase even more
From 2023 onwards, tax benefits for new company cars will be further reduced if they are not 100% electric. In fact, as of 1 January 2026, these advantages will no longer apply to new contracts. That is why Arval Belgium expects even more drivers to opt for an electric or full hybrid car in the coming months and years. This is also apparent from the orders placed in the first two months of 2022: 43% of the orders are electrified (BEV and hybrides) and over 21% are 100% electric. Recent research also shows that almost 1 in 4 private sector employees has a company car. These two factors will ensure that the demand for charging facilities for these cars, i.e. charging stations on public roads but also in private homes, will continue to rise in the coming years.
Even though the number of charging stations on public roads in Belgium continues to rise - in 2021 there were just under 15,000 charging stations on public roads, whereas in 2020 there were only 8,500 - it will be crucial to install charging infrastructure in drivers' homes as well. In the first instance, Luminus will install intelligent charging stations for the drivers of Arval Belgium clients, which can measure the car's electricity consumption so that this van be reimbursed to the drivers who are employees and charge at home. In addition, Luminus will offer charging cards so that drivers can charge at public charging stations through Arval Belgium. Finally, Luminus will also provide intelligent, mobile cables to drivers who do not have the option of installing a fixed charging station at their home.
Sustainable mobility solutions tailored to your needs
The collaboration with Luminus is fully in line with the 2020-2025 strategy of Arval Belgium, which focuses on accelerated electrification of the fleet, offering alternative forms of mobility and reaching a wider audience through partnerships with other companies. With Luminus as one of its partners, Arval Belgium aims to fulfil its ambition to offer customers sustainable and innovative mobility solutions tailored to their needs.
"We already notice that most companies are accelerating the electrification of their company car fleet. They are adapting their car policy, but are also increasingly looking at the total cost of ownership, so that our customers are also paying more attention to charging company cars and how this can be done most efficiently. If almost all company cars are to be electric by 2026, there will need to be many more public, semi-public and private charging stations for charging the cars."
- Laurent Loncke, General Manager of Arval Belgium
Building a CO2-neutral energy future
More than ever, Luminus wants to build a CO2-neutral energy future. Electrification is the way forward. Also for mobility.
"I am extremely happy about our partnership with Arval Belgium. An electric car is three times more efficient than a car with an internal combustion engine. Moreover, electricity is the only energy that can be made CO2-neutral on a large scale. And even when the electricity is produced by a gas-fired power station to charge the electric car, less CO2 is emitted than when that car runs on diesel or petrol."
- Grégoire Dallemagne, CEO of Luminus
