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Frequently Asked Questions | Alphabet.com

With electric driving, you travel with a vehicle powered by one or more electric motors, also called EV. To power the electric motor(s), electricity is stored in a battery that can be charged at home, at the office or on the road at a charging point. The electric motors can also be powered by electricity generated from hydrogen (= by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen). Hydrogen-powered electric vehicles do not have a battery, but a so-called fuel cell on board. Choice in models is currently rather limited.

Electric driving does not involve physical CO2 emissions (so-called tailpipe emissions). CO2 emissions can be further reduced to zero if you can charge the battery with green energy. In addition, an electric car requires fewer moving parts and therefore less maintenance than an internal combustion car.

This depends on two factors, namely the driver profile and the facilities for charging infrastructure. For more information, please see the section “Does electric driving suit my business?” <a href="https://www.alphabet.com/en-be/mobility-solutions/funding-solutions/electric-leasing/driver-driving-profile">in the EV booklet</a>.

This entirely depends on the company premises, the facilities at the employees' home and local, public facilities. But we are happy to help you determine what is the right charging infrastructure for your situation.

The charging time of an electric vehicle depends on several factors. The most important are the (usable) capacity of the battery, the capacity of the charging point and the on-board charger of the vehicle. Please note that the charging capacity of the vehicle’s battery also plays a role. To calculate how long an EV needs to charge, divide the usable battery capacity by the charging capacity of your charging point.
Eg. Hyundai Ioniq 5: 73 kW (Battery capacity) / 22 kW (Charging station) = +-3h 30 min.
Please note that the vehicle’s on-board charger also has a maximum capacity. The capacity of this on-board charger determines the effective charging capacity of the vehicle. If this maximum charging capacity is lower than the capacity of the charging stations, the capacity of the on-board charger determines the effective charging capacity of the vehicle.

Home charging stations with the following capacities can be installed: A domestic socket (“standard socket”) is 2.3 kW. It is not recommended to charge an EV using a domestic plug. Not only does it take a very long time, but it can also be dangerous. A domestic socket is not designed for prolonged use and will therefore heat up, which may cause a fire hazard. We recommend installing a future proof charging station: a charging station that can supply 22 kWh, even if your vehicle does not require this or your electricity grid cannot (or not yet) deliver 22 kWh. The power can be limited to the necessary/available power with a minor adjustment.

Yes, that is possible, provided they have their own charging card, and your charging station is set up as a public charging point. You will receive the payment for the kWh used, and the owner of the charging card will receive the invoice.

On the one hand, (PH)EV’s are more expensive than cars with combustion engines. On the other hand, the government heavily stimulates the greening of fleets via fiscal advantages such as a 100% deductibility and low taxes for electric cars. 
Therefore, it is important to look at the bigger picture and calculate the TCO (total cost of ownership). 
Generally, the TCO of EVs is more favourable for business than the TCO of cars with combustion engines.
Also, with the current fiscal legislation, an EV will without a doubt become the most economical alternative between now and 2026. A clear TCO analysis and the imminent abolition of deductibility of diesel and petrol cars are important factors to consider.

Alphabet supplies all electric cars that are officially available on the Belgian market, and helps you prepare and complete the transition from internal combustion cars to electric cars. Contact your Alphabet contact person if you want to know more.

Even the smallest EVs have a range of more than 180km and 80% of people drive less than 50km every day. For safe and comfortable driving, we recommend ensuring that the range of your chosen EV is 150% of your daily mileage.

The number of kilometres you can drive is also called the driving range or operating radius. The driving range depends on the size of your battery and the consumption of the vehicle. The latter is influenced by your driving style, just with like an internal combustion car. The average range of an electric car is +/- 250 km.

Yes. The battery of your EV performs best at temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees. Colder temperatures in winter will affect your battery capacity and thus also reduce your driving range faster. This is because a battery is less efficient at cold temperatures and the consumption increases by, for example, switching on the heating, etc.

Yes. With Alphabet’s <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="fcafe988-cd13-4a2b-8674-c7d380d97052" href="/en-be/mobility-solutions/flexible-solutions/add-mobility" title="Add-on Mobility">Add-On Mobility</a>, an amount of between EUR 35 and EUR 100 less of the available budget can be invested per month and thus saved, which can be used separately to temporarily rent a van or car from our Alphabet Rent fleet for, for example, a family holiday or relocation.

A charging card or charging pass has an RFID chip that can be scanned and read by a smart charging point. This ensures that your charge is registered and linked to your account to ensure correct invoicing for the charge. You can use our charging card for home charging, work charging and public charging (unless otherwise specified by your company). If a home charging point with family or friends is set as a public charging station, you can also charge there on your "own account" with your charging card.

When installing a home charging point linked to an Alphabet lease vehicle, you will receive a charging card from Alphabet or its partner. If your company chooses a 3rd party to install charging points, this party will provide the charging cards for the drivers.

Contact your fleet manager or Alphabet Driver Centre to request a new charging card. It is crucial to act quickly to obtain a new charging card: (1) to be able to charge your car and therefore keep driving, and (2) because hardly any charging stations are set up and equipped to allow charging with a traditional credit card.

For public charging, you can use the charging card supplied to you by Alphabet or its partner, unless specified otherwise by your company. This may also mean choosing a separate supplier for public charging.

The network of public charging stations is expanding almost daily, so there will gradually be enough charging stations. Good to know; experience shows that only 10% of charging takes place using public charging stations. 70% of charging is done at home, 20% at work. In 2022, the charging infrastructure in Belgium averaged 8.8 charging points per 100 km, and 73 public charging stations per 100,000 inhabitants.

Public charging is possible at all charging stations of providers with whom our charging infrastructure partner has a roaming agreement. At least 80% of the charging stations in Belgium are in the roaming network of our charging infrastructure partner and this network is expanding daily. The most recent list of roaming partners can be found via <a href="https://a.storyblok.com/f/117392/x/ff723a2f82/laden_buitenland_update_2022-02_be.pdf">this link</a>. You can see where public charging stations are located via our Alphabet app.

Prices for public charging vary depending on the provider that concludes its long-term contracts with an energy supplier of its choice. Prices may be 3 to 6 times higher (under normal market conditions) than for charging at home or at work. Today it is still unclear what is to be paid where, but various organisations are pushing for European regulations in this regard.

No. The charging card is active on a roaming platform, which means that the charging card works on all platforms with which our charging infrastructure partner has a roaming agreement. This also means that the charging card cannot be limited to location or amount and therefore your employees can also charge abroad (EU).

The VREG (Flemish Electricity and Gas Market Regulator) introduced a new notification requirement for charging stations for electric cars in June 2021. All charging stations you connect to the low-voltage grid with a charging capacity ≥ 5 kVA must be notified to Fluvius. This obligation applies to both public and private charging stations. The information Fluvius receives, will allow them to make targeted adjustments to the electricity distribution network.
This is or will also be an obligation in the other parts of the country in the near future:
<ul>
<li>Flanders: <a href="https://s.chkmkt.com/?e=244597&d=e&h=6029BE98542D078&l=nl">Fluvius</a></li>
<li>Brussels Capital Region: <a href="https://www.sibelga.be/en/contact?_country=GB">Sibelga</a> (In Brussels, there is no notification obligation yet - 17/01/2023)</li>
<li>Wallonia (75% coverage): <a href="https://netoresorchardcms.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Documents_Raccordements_Travaux/Formulaire_declaration_borne_FR_web.pdf">ORES</a></li>
<li>Province of Liège: <a href="https://www.resa.be/fr/mobilite-electrique/formulaire-de-declaration-de-mise-en-hors-service-dune-borne-de-recharge/">Resa</a></li>
</ul>
There are also <a href="http://www.aieg.be/contact.php">AIEG</a>, <a href="https://www.aiesh.be/contact/">AIESH</a> and <a href="https://www.rew.be/contactus">REW</a> which are grid operators in the remaining Walloon municipalities. In this case, it is best to contact your distribution system operator directly to discuss the necessary steps.

<ul>
<li>With a charging station</li>
</ul>
A charging station installed at your home allows you to charge both your EV and PHEV.
<ul>
<li>With a SmartCable</li>
</ul>
Only a PHEV can be charged at home with a SmartCable via a standard socket. A PHEV does not necessarily require a home charging station.

No. Designed for home charging only, the SmartCable records the power flowing to your vehicle. The reimbursement of home energy consumption will be made on this basis of data. PLEASE NOTE: A SmartCable shall only be used at home. The reimbursement of energy consumption is linked to the IBAN and EAN code of the electricity meter of the specified home address. If a SmartCable is used, a charging card will only be required for public charging or activating a charging station on the company premises (depending on the set-up and the agreements made in this regard with the company).

(1) Order your electric car. (2) Please complete your contact details via a link provided by our charging infrastructure partner. (3) You will receive a questionnaire from our partner, with which you can chart the status of your electrical system. This can be completed by you, possibly with the help of our partner. (4) If step 3 does not provide sufficient clarity, our partner will schedule another physical inspection. (5) Our charging infrastructure partner will provide a final quotation for installation. After approval by your employer, Alphabet will order the car from the dealer and the charging point from our charging infrastructure partner. (6) Our charging infrastructure partner will plan the installation of the home charging station, two to four weeks before the scheduled delivery date of your electric car.

Before installing a home charging station, a questionnaire is sent out, and if necessary, an inspection is carried out. This will show whether your electrical system is adequate or not. If changes need to be made, either consult your network manager or your electrician – depending on the nature of the changes.

Some personal data such as your address, bank account number for the reimbursement and the EAN code of your electricity meter. To install a home charging station, three parties must agree to it: (1) The owner of the property where the home charging station is to be installed, because alterations will be made to that property. The home charging station will also become the property of the owner of the property “due to intended use”. (2) The electricity contractor: the person who has an agreement with a supplier of the premises for the electricity used on the premises. He/she pays the supplier for the amount used and is reimbursed for this by our charging infrastructure partner. (3) The driver: the end user of the home charging station.

The home charging station will be installed as close as possible to the vehicle’s delivery date. Our target date is between a month before delivery and the day before delivery. This is usually 2 to 4 weeks prior to the delivery of the new car.

Only to the home charging station. If there is no (or no longer) any valid electrical inspection certification for the rest of the house, it is up to the owner to provide general inspection certification of the electricity grid.

The home charging stations that Alphabet have installed are designed to be located outside. They can also be installed indoors, although it now appears that some fire-fighting zones no longer approve the installation of home charging stations indoors due to accessibility in the event of a fire. According to the providers, however, it is completely safe to install a home charging station indoors, and they are trying to get the regulators to take a clear stance on this.

No. The inspector for the charger installation has no role in this. The network administrator will offer to install a digital meter. When an increase on your installation from single-phase to three-phase is required, the network administrator might use that opportunity to replace your analogue meter.

No. The existing supplier invoices the total use of the family home to the family. By using a smart home charging station, the charging point operator can detect how much power is used for charging the car. This energy consumption is reimbursed monthly to the household at a fixed kWh price by the charging point operator. This is separate from whomever the home’s energy supplier is. On the other hand, the charging point operator ensures that the consumption for charging the car is charged to the employer via the lease contract or the charging card agreement.

Your smart home charging station records the kWh flowing to your vehicle. Based on this record, the charging point operator will refund a fixed amount per kWh directly to you each month. You still pay your energy supplier, but you recover the part for charging your vehicle. We do recommend having your monthly instalments increased to avoid surprises in your final bill. The amount that our partner reimburses to you will be charged to your employer via the lease contract.

As of 01/01/2022, you must enter your actual electricity rate in the “My Charging” portal of our charging infrastructure partner, under the section “Electricity Fee”. The charging station operator will reimburse you at that rate. The reason for discontinuing the flat-rate reimbursement is two-fold: (1) The rapid changes in energy prices. (2) The tax authorities’ argument that the reimbursement of electricity costs for charging a vehicle at home should not be done on a flat-rate basis. It is therefore important to fill in the rate as truthfully as possible so that in the event of a check by the tax authorities, you can demonstrate that there is no hidden income in the reimbursement of the charging costs. To determine the unit rate, you create the sum of the following costs on your invoice: delivery costs + energy tax + renewable energy storage + applicable VAT on that amount. Express this sum in an amount in euro/kWh. If you have a double meter, calculate the average of the two rates.

This is being discussed in the energy sector and by regulators, but it is not yet clear. It is possible to set your own settings to charge the car (you often have the whole night anyway) and thus avoid 'peaks'.

Yes. If you consume more electricity, your bill will go up. However, the additional electricity consumption for charging your EV will be reimbursed monthly. We advise you to have your monthly instalments increased to avoid surprises in the final bill.

Both options are possible. The home charging station is activated with an RFID card. With this activation, you can select that the home charging station can only read its own charging card (= private charging point) or also the charging card of third parties (= public charging point). In the latter way, third parties will also be able to charge at your home charging station with their own card. The owner of the home charging station will then receive reimbursement for the kWh consumed and the owner of the charging card will receive the invoice.

Yes, if your home charging station is set-up as a public charging point. The consumption will then be reimbursed to you by the charging point operator, who will pass on the cost of charging via the customer’s lease contract or the customer’s charging card agreement.

Yes, if your home charging station is set-up as a public charging point. The consumption will then be reimbursed by your charging point operator, who will pass on the cost of charging to the other charging point operator. The latter in turn invoices the charging costs via the customer’s lease contract or charging card agreement.

Yes. In Europe, type 2 cables (Mennekes) are used almost exclusively. This should now be standard for all vehicles supplied in Europe. Some older models of American (except Tesla) or Asian cars used to supply charging cables with a Chademo (type 1 plug).

The technology already exists for charging points, but they’re still very expensive. Some makes of car are already actively working on it; others are still examining the possibilities. This will probably only become mainstream within a few years.

Load balancing is a charging point system that measures energy consumption every second and ensures that the available power is distributed between the charging point and the rest of the household network to prevent power outages. Load balancing can only be set if a digital meter is present in the house or if an optional load balancing module has been installed.

You can monitor your consumption and the individual charging sessions via our partner's online portal.

No. If you install a charging station, as a driver, you must notify your fire insurance company, because the home charging station will become part of the property.

Yes. The home charging station, which is placed at the house (or on the grounds of the house), becomes property “due to intended use”. The investment of the charging station is also fully amortised over the term of the lease contract. Therefore, no “remaining amount” is owed if the contract ends on the planned end date.

No. A home charging station is always linked to a car lease contract. The lease contract for the car is linked to the home charging station’s energy consumption so that we can invoice correctly.

No. At the end of the contract, the home charging station is administratively disconnected from the vehicle and linked to the contract of the new electric vehicle. When concluding a new contract for an electric car, a home charging station should not be chosen as an accessory again if the driver’s home is already equipped with a suitable charging point.

Yes, but... (1) A charging point is equipped with a SIM card and could easily be changed to a SIM card from another charging point operator if we, your employer, or another partner would prefer that. (2) Each charging point operator installs its own charging points. They are assured of correct installation and tested operation. Charging point operators may be reluctant to take over charging points from other operators due to doubts about the correct installation and operation.

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The most frequently asked questions concerning the delivery of your lease car.

In case of breakdown or damage, you can contact Alphabet’s roadside assistance dispatch centre: 24/7 at <a href="tel:078150535">+32 (0) 78 15 05 35</a>.
Roadside assistance is available if your car leaves you stranded as a result of breakdown, an accident, fire, theft or vandalism, which prevents you from continuing your journey driving the vehicle.

Does your car need maintenance or repair? Just take your car to the garage, without any further formalities. Alphabet will take care of all the rest.

Get a voucher

The fee for the technical inspection is included in your leasing rate. Alphabet provides you a voucher that you can use to pay with in the inspection center of your choice.
When should you take your car to the technical vehicle inspection?
<ul>
<li>Passenger cars without tow bar: after 4 year</li>
<li>Light trucks: yearly</li>
<li>Passenger cars with tow bar < 750 kg : after 4 year</li>
<li>Passenger cars with tow bar >750 kg: yearly</li>
</ul>

We have listed the most frequently asked questions

If you have any questions about your tyres, please do not hesitate to contact our Alphabet TireLine at <a href="tel:+32780500">+ 32 (0) 78 05 00</a> 48 or <a href="mailto:tireline@alphabet.be">tireline@alphabet.be</a>.

Be sure to use our checklist and brochure about end of contract

Returning your lease car : the different steps 
<ul>
<li>Your car fleet manager will contact you as soon as the maximum number of kilometres or the planned contract duration is reached. </li>
<li>You will then be contacted by our partner Macadam to arrange the time and place for the vehicle to be checked in. </li>
<li>You are expected to be present and to tender your vehicle in a clean and tidy condition including the original vehicle documents (application form, certificate of conformity and insurance certificate) along with all the keys. Our Car Controller will take around thirty minutes to inspect the vehicle and to draw up and sign the car check-in document.</li>
</ul>

Did you know that you can purchase your own lease car at the end of its contract? As a matter of fact, nobody knows the vehicle better than you. Moreover, Alphabet offers you excellent conditions like a 1-year warranty and 1 year roadside assistance!

Download the expense declaration form

Have you incurred costs for the technical inspection or costs that are included in the leasing contract (excluded: fuel, Adblue or other products)? You can pass on the amounts to Alphabet through expense declaration. Please return this form fully completed, along with the original receipt to <a href="mailto:service@alphabet.be">service@alphabet.be</a>. The total amount will be reimbursed to your account as soon as possible.

Alphabet Belgium does not bear any civil or criminal responsibility but is obliged to transfer your data to the competent authorities. 
The fines are sent via our partner Unifiedpost.
May we therefore kindly ask you:
- to contact the authority that issued the fine for any question or dispute you may have regarding the content of the attached document.
- to immediately transfer the payment to the account of the relevant authority
- if a form has been added, fill it in and return it to the competent authority.
All costs incurred in the event of non-payment or late payment, will be charged, plus administrative costs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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