Electra and BePark join forces to become the leader in fast charging in Belgium and Luxembourg

Electra, a French specialist in fast charging for electric vehicles, and BePark, a digital parking operator, are joining forces through the Electra Belux joint venture to build a vast charging network. The main obstacles to the switch to electric vehicles are the lack of confidence in the battery's autonomy and the lack of charging stations. And Belgium is still lagging behind in the development of a reliable network. BePark and Electra have therefore set themselves the goal of installing 1,500 charging points by 2030, including 150 in Luxembourg.

Accelerating the roll-out of fast charging in Europe

Electra is revolutionising electric vehicle charging with the installation of fast charging points (50 to 300 kW of power) in all cities or strategic axes. Up to 3,500 recharges are carried out on average each month in Electra stations, with a forecast of

20,000 per month on average by the end of the year. The company has developed an extremely streamlined customer journey with unique features on its app such as booking.

Electra, which announced a record financing round of €160 million at the end of June, is now expanding in Europe, starting with Belgium and Luxembourg with BePark. As the only pure player in the fast-charging market in France, Electra will now be able to compete with the European platforms that have emerged in recent years.

Provide additional services to car park owners

For the past 10 years, BePark has been optimising the occupation of property owners' car parks by operating them and responding to new mobility issues. The company's mission has always been to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility by adapting private car park infrastructures to other types of mobility.

BePark is accompanied by an ecosystem of partners in order to strengthen its offer and propose new services to owners and users. BePark's objective is to create urban mobility hubs with car parking, recharging, bicycle parking, etc. Rapid charging of electric vehicles is an integral part of this strategy in a context where the number of electric vehicles will grow strongly with an estimated 1.1 million vehicles in Belgium in 2030. It is therefore essential to use car parks to develop the network of recharging stations and achieve the objectives of reducing CO2 emissions.

Develop innovative offers for users

BePark and Electra have decided to collaborate through a joint venture, Electra Belux, to develop a solid offer in Belgium and Luxembourg, countries where the rate of equipment in fast charge points is still marginal while the owners and managers of car parks open to the public are looking for solutions for their users. The aim is to offer an optimal experience by combining the best of digital technology and the best of infrastructure for a successful customer experience.

"This tie-up with Electra was a natural fit and fulfils our vision of utilising private car parks to their full potential, whilst improving mobility. We are at a key moment where the installation of charging stations is a real opportunity for our owner customers, as user demand is increasing. This partnership with Electra will allow us to provide new solutions thanks to a player specialised in this field.  Julien Vandeleene, CEO & Founder of BePark.

"We are delighted with this collaboration with BePark. Our partnership is the result of a love affair between two young players with the same innovative and customer-centric approach as well as the same human and ecological values. BePark brings us its in-depth knowledge of the mobility market in Belgium and Luxembourg and its strong expertise in parking, which will allow us to develop rapidly on these markets", says Aurélien de Meaux, CEO and co-founder of Electra.

• Objective: to install 1500 charge points by 2030, including 150 in Luxembourg

• Target opening of first station in Belgium: Q4

• Targets: shopping centres, hotels and restaurants, destination locations

Electra

• Up to 3,500 recharges are made on average each month at Electra stations

• With a forecast of 20,000 per month on average by the end of the year.

• More than 8000 charge points available by 2030

• A record financing round of €160 million at the end of June

• 80 high-level experts

• Average cost of a station: €500,000

BePark

• Created in 2011

• Opened 500 private car parks and 20,000 parking spaces

• 55 employees

• 35% growth

About Electra

Electra offers fast charging stations for electric vehicles. Co-founded by Aurélien de Meaux, Augustin Derville and Julien Belliato, the company's ambition is to definitively erase the barriers to the adoption of electric cars by deploying a massive, fast and efficient recharging network.  The company has the trust of major groups such as AccorInvest, LSGI, Altarea Commerce, Indigo, Louvre Hotels Group, Primonial REIM France, the Chopard Group and Jardiland. With the support of 80 high-level experts, the company invests heavily in innovation and research for the benefit of a unique user experience: rich, intuitive and customisable mobile interfaces. All of this, within the framework of a dense network with a fleet of more than 8,000 charging points available by 2030. www.go-electra.com

About BePark

BePark is a digital parking operator whose ambition is to create a more mobile urban life by connecting, sharing and optimising the use of car parks. By contributing to de-cluttering the roads, BePark's flexible parking solution provides an answer to the challenges of tomorrow's city and to the needs of real estate players, businesses and residents. Founded in 2011 in Belgium, BePark is present in Belgium, France and Luxembourg where the company has opened 500 private car parks and 20,000 parking spaces. BePark has 55 employees and is growing at a rate of 35%. www.bepark.eu