News Item | 06-09-2022 | 20:30
Charging electric cars should be easy, smart and safe. Secretary of State Heijnen (Infrastructure and Water Management) and Garcia Gonzalez (California Environment Minister) signed the agreement today. Dutch and Californian experts will work together for better regulation and better use of new technology. This is necessary to ensure that all new cars in Europe and California are electric by 2035. During a trade mission in San Francisco, they signed the agreement in the presence of Queen Máxima and California’s Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis.
Heijnen: “Good charging points and electric cars. They are together like a train on a track. There’s still a world to conquer while charging. The Netherlands and California excel in charge technology. Together we can make a difference. Smart, easy and safe charging is not only good for the climate but also for electric drivers. It also provides opportunities for our economy as our country has more knowledgable companies in this field.
Experts at work
Both the Netherlands and California have a large innovative testing center for charging techniques, where the latest techniques in the field of fast charging, smart charging and cyber security are developed and tested. It provides a lot of knowledge. Experts from ElaadNL and the California Energy Commission will jointly test and, based on their practical experience, advise the government in the Netherlands, the United States and Europe on new laws and regulations in the field of cyber security, ease of use and security requirements. The first meeting is scheduled for next spring.
In concrete terms, providers of charging stations in the Netherlands and California want the world to use open standards. Everyone can easily access any charging station with their own debit card without having to take out a separate subscription first. This provides greater safety and comfort for electric drivers, for example when on holiday abroad. It also means that companies offering charging stations can easily sell their products overseas.
Another goal is to charge faster from the ground. This allows people to feed electricity back into the grid with their car, for example when there is a high demand for electricity. This provides more power to the power grid during peak hours. It can play an important role in solving power grid problems. And as charging stations become smarter, we also need to make sure they can’t be hacked. Digital security is therefore the third area in which the Netherlands and California work together.
Ambition
Both the Netherlands and California are ambitious in the field of electric driving. California in the US, the Netherlands in the European Union is leading the way. There are relatively many charging stations in the Netherlands and many companies that build and operate charging stations. In our own country, but also across the border, for example in America. The Netherlands earns about five billion euros a year from all kinds of products and services in the electric transport sector, such as the construction and sale of charging stations.
In the US, California is leading the way in introducing electric vehicles. And with Silicon Valley within the state’s borders, there are many companies that make components for electric cars and charging stations, among others. About 40 Dutch companies in the field of smart and sustainable mobility have corporate operations in California. If California were an independent state, it would have the fifth largest economy in the world.
Circular economy and climate adaptation
The Netherlands and California have been working together in many areas for many years. In the agreement, they also agree to expand cooperation in the field of circular economy, sustainability and climate adaptation.
