We’re renting an EV (Mini Aceman) in the Netherlands and are wondering if any of you fellow travelers have had experience doing so. If so, how prevalent are charging stations? Is there an app or separate account needed to access them? Do charging stations accept credit / debit cards, Apple Pay, etc.? Any helpful advice or suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks much in advance!
We haven't rented a car in the Netherlands but did rent an EV in Iceland in June. The rental car company gave us all the info we would need. In iceland, there were a couple different charging companies and you could use an app or a website to pay. The chargers had QR codes that you would scan to initiate payment. In one case we had trouble getting the charger to start; we called the support number and they walked us through it. (Paying for parking was similar - app-based, or scan a QR code.)
For what it's worth, I just now looked at the PlugShare app and saw lots of chargers in the Netherlands. You might try downloading it and seeing what the coverage is like in the area where you will be visiting. If you haven't already found useful info elsewhere this might help: https://www.tapelectric.app/blog/ultimate-ev-charging-guide-the-netherlands/ (I can't vouch for the reliability)
As an EV owner in the USA (2021 Chevy Bolt EV), I do not recommend hugging trees and whales on your vacation as a good practice. Although probably everywhere other than the US has more density of charging stations, you don't need the complications when driving in strange places. And you don't want to spend hours charging when you want to be sightseeing. (My Bolt is a slow charger, but even with high-speed DC charging, it takes an hour to go from 20% to 80%, and the last 20% is very slow.) Up to half the chargers I approach in the US are broken (black screen) or will not start to charge, even when I have the right membership and credit card registered. Luckily places like Walmart may have ten chargers at Superstores.
I observed some chargers in Iceland where the car owner apparently had to bring his own cord (??)
What's your plan? The big question is why you are renting a car in the Netherlands, it's rarely the best way to get around.
But here is a map of charging stations: https://chargemap.com/map
