Electric driving – Frequently Asked Questions

An electric car is a motor vehicle the propulsion of which is partially or fully powered by a rechargeable electrical battery. Unlike a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, an electric vehicle does not have a transmission. There are several types of electric cars, which can be divided into the following categories:

1. EV stands for electric vehicle and refers to a fully electric car. Another term for this is battery electric vehicle or BEV. In addition to a BEV, a fuel cell electric vehicle or FCEV is also a fully electric vehicle:
   • A battery electric vehicle (BEV) is a fully electric vehicle the wheels of which are propelled by one or more electric motors powered by energy from a battery pack. This battery pack can be recharged at any time. The car produces no direct CO2 of nitrogen emissions.
   • o A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) runs on hydrogen and is supported by electric motors. The battery is smaller than that of a BEV and is merely there to complement the fuel cell. The fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into water and electricity. The car cannot be charged at home or on the road. It needs refuelling with hydrogen gas at a hydrogen refuelling station. **
2. A Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) runs on both fuel and electricity. It runs mainly on fuel and is supported by a battery. HEVs can be subdivided into two types:
   • o PHEV stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Some PHEVs have an electric range of up to 100 km. When the battery is empty, the vehicle switches to the internal combustion engine.
   • o MHEV stands for mild hybrid electric vehicle. The internal combustion engine of an MHEV is supported by a battery, but the vehicle runs almost exclusively on fuel. The electric motor is used to support the internal combustion engine and reduce emissions that way, rather than power the actual vehicle. You cannot charge an MHEV in the way that you can a PHEV.

An electric car also needs to be serviced. How often this is necessary depends on the make, model and engine. Some EVs have the same maintenance intervals as fuel vehicles, usually between 12.000 and 30.000 km or every 12 months or 24 months, whichever comes first. It is, therefore, important that employees follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and always keep an eye on the dashboard notifications.

The battery of an electric vehicle is sensitive to temperature, especially cold temperatures. It can charge more quickly when it has been preheated in advance. This is particularly important during fast charging. Some BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) can use battery preconditioning for this purpose. This can be done using the intelligent preconditioning system via the navigation system or by manual activation.

If you are installing the charger in an apartment building, it is advisable to have a technical audit carried out on site by a technician. Then provide Arval with the written authorization of the owner of the residence and/or the building manager.

After a preliminary assessment (by e-mail and/or telephone), the installation date will be agreed with you in advance. We then make a second appointment for the certification of the installation by an independent body. This organisation will check whether the installation has been carried out correctly and will make recommendations if certain elements are not compliant. You remain responsible for your general electrical installation.

It is possible to install a charging station at a family member's home, if you do not have the appropriate infrastructure and after consultation with your employer.

When an analysis shows that your electrical installation needs to be adapted, a quote can be drawn up to determine the additional cost of this adaptation.

Depending on what has been agreed with your employer, we may charge you for this additional cost. If the network manager (Fluvius, etc.) has to be called out, then this supplement will not be billed via Arval.

Is it possible to connect the charging station to your personal electricity meter? If so, this should not be a problem.

If the installation is in a common part of the building and/or the electricity meter does not belong to you, Arval needs the written agreement of the owner and/or the building manager.

The charging station is installed on your private property (e.g. garage, private parking space, carport).

The electrical installation of the house must be able to withstand the electricity requirements of the charging station in order to avoid short circuits. It must also comply with the RGIE (General Regulations on Electrical Installations). But charging stations can be installed via a single or three phase connection. Advice on this will be given during the pre-installation interview. This is because it depends on parameters such as: the presence of energy-intensive equipment (sauna, swimming pool, etc.), the vehicle chosen, the desired charging capacity, etc.

You will need a charging card or a charging key fob.

As a driver, you should always be able to identify yourself with a charging card or key fob to be able to charge. This will allow you to start and stop the charging station and record your usage. To prevent fraud, don’t forget to close the reload session with your card or key fob.

The charging card or key fob does not have a PIN code.

Send an e-mail to fuel@arval.be immediately. Arval will block the charging card and/or key fob and request a new one.

Contact Arval Driver Care on 02 240 01 88 or call the technical support number on your charging card/station directly.

• My friend does not have a charging card yet: you can request a charging card from Numobi.
• My friend has a Numobi public charging card: please provide Numobi with your friend's charging card details. Refunds will only be made to the owner of the charging station.
• My friend has a public charging card from another provider: check if there is a roaming agreement between the charging card provider and Numobi. If so, ask to open the charging station and set a rate for these public transactions.

At a charging station (wallbox) you can charge up to eight times faster than with a normal socket at home. Here is an example of how long it takes to charge a 30 kW car battery, using a charging station or a normal household socket. A smart charging cable allows safe charging of a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

_{^{(*) Please note: your wall socket and wiring may not be suitable for vehicle charging. This could lead to dangerous situations when charging an electric vehicle at home. The socket may overheat and cause a fire.}}

You can easily calculate the charging time with taking into account the charging station and the power.

Vehicle battery size (kWh) / Maximum charging capacity of the charging station (kW) = Estimated number of hours required to charge the car

Example 1: 11,9 kWh / 3,7 kW = ± 3 hours

Example 2: 90 kWh / 22 kW = ± 4 hours