Picture this: you’re driving your electric scooter in Amsterdam. Suddenly your battery percentage dips below 20%. Oh no! What can you do? Where can you charge your electric scooter in Amsterdam?
Where to Charge Your Electric Scooter
Lucky for you, Amsterdam is one of the world’s leading cities in electric transportation, and there are already thousands of charging spots in the city. You can use a map to locate a specific location. This map will tell you the plugtype (plug type), available charging method (laadtype), and whether the station is buiten gebruik (out of order).
If a charging point isn’t anywhere near you, you can also even ask the city government to install one for you. Let’s look at some of the available options to charge your electric scooter in Amsterdam below.
1. Vattenfall
Your first option is Vattenfall, which has charging locations all over Amsterdam. You will need a membership card to activate them.
Vattenfall distributes these cards after you fill out an online form. The Vattenfall charge cards work at every public charging station in all of the Netherlands. The card is free, there is no subscription, and you only pay for the charge cost – which is roughly 0.34€/kWh. The cards do not need to be renewed unless you lose it or want a second card.
If you need a second card, though, you have to pay 9.99€. Make sure you keep the card with you at all times!
If you have a credit card, you can skip the charge card altogether. You won’t have to worry about incurring an extra fee if you need a second card. You can download the app “Vattenfall InCharge,” input your credit card information, and you’re all set. Once you arrive at a charging station, all you have to do is start your session on your phone. You can easily locate these on InCharge’s in-app map.
If you find a charging spot on the street, however, you have to pay both the fee for charging your electric scooter AND the fee for the number of hours that you’re parked there. If you find a free parking spot, you will only have to pay based on your total energy consumption.
Why Pick Vattenfall?
Vattenfall has the most charging spots in Amsterdam out of all of the available locations. And, it’s the most convenient, as you don’t need a physical card if you don’t want to. Just be mindful that you may have to pay to park in addition to the charge fee, depending on your parking spot!
2. Flexpower
Another way to charge your electric scooter is to use what is called a “Flexpower” station. Also created by Vattenfall, these charging points are specially designed to use flexible charging speeds. Put another way, this allows you to obtain the cheapest and fastest charging.
Flexpower utilizes the power of simultaneous mass-charging to make charging your electric scooter even more environmentally friendly. There are a total of 456 charging stations with a total of 912 charging points, occupying just about one-third of the total number of charging points in Amsterdam.
Flexpower charging stations increase the charging speed up to 2.5x faster than a regular electric scooter charging location. This is because during peak hours, the energy load is decreased, and during off hours, the capacity is increased by 40%. In other words, the system draws energy at night when electricity use is at its lowest point, allowing your vehicle to charge much, much faster during the day.
Why Pick Flexpower?
Electric scooter and vehicle drivers alike not only benefit from quicker charging, but there is also no additional cost to using such a station. You can expect to pay the regular rate of 0.34€/kWh.
Flexpower is less of a choice and more of a happy coincidence. So, if you come across a Flexpower station, this is the obvious choice for you – faster charging and lower overall energy usage. This benefits both you and the city’s carbon footprint!
3. Park and Ride
You can also charge your electric scooter in Amsterdam at any of the Park and Ride (P+R) locations throughout the city. In these parking garages, you can park your vehicle for a maximum of 4 days. Each day (24 hours) costs 8€, but if you park after 10:00am or during the weekend, that price decreases drastically. You only have to pay 1€ per 24 hours.
Every single P+R station in Amsterdam has a charging point for electric vehicles and scooters. If you choose to go the P+R route, you also get one other advantage: charging your electric vehicle is 100% free.
When you arrive at a P+R location – many are located on the outskirts of the city center allowing for direct access to public transportation methods as well – you must obtain a parking ticket. From there, you can park in any of the available spaces, plug in your electric scooter, and connect to the city center through bus, tram, metro, train, or connection bus.
To travel from a P+R location to the city center, you will also need another card. This is either an OV-chipkaart or a specially-purchased P+R GVB ticket. When you come back to pick up your scooter after a fun day in the city, you will need to scan either of these cards to pay at a designated machine.
Why Pick P+R?
This method is the choice for you if you want to drop your vehicle off and enjoy the day in Amsterdam. However, do be mindful of the fact that you must leave your car and can only travel to and from the P+R location via public transport.
4. Q-Park
You can also charge your electric scooter in Amsterdam through Q-Park. Q-Park is a series of parking garages throughout the Netherlands. Some of their major locations are in Amsterdam, and many more are very close by. These locations are also available on an online map.
When you enter a Q-Park garage, there will be a very clearly marked sign. This sign will tell you which floor the electric scooter chargers are on. You will then plug in your scooter, scan your charge card (like Vattenfall), and then begin charging. These charging points can take your battery from 20%-80% in as fast as two hours!
Here are some specifics on the Amsterdam Q-Park options. There are over 700 parking spaces at the Q-Park Europarking garage, and it is open 24 hours a day. Q-Park Byzantium offers 450 parking spaces and is also open for 24 hours a day. Lastly, Q-Park Centrum Oost also has 240 spaces and is open at all hours as well.
For general information on Q-Park locations, you can download the free Q-Park app. This app will let you know your nearest location, how many regular parking spots are available, and if you request a Q-Park SmartCard, you can pay for your parking completely contactless. This card is completely free and connects to the Q-Park app, letting you see your monthly invoice conveniently on your phone.
Q-Park charging points can also be found on the free “Publiek Laden” app. However, you will need a physical charge card in order to use the charging points at a Q-Park location. You cannot simply press “start” inside an app like you can with Vattenfall.
Why Pick Q-Park?
Pick Q-Park if you want to park safely directly in the city center to charge your electric scooter and don’t plan on travelling via public transportation to enjoy your day. Be aware: you will pay both the pay the average rate of 0.34€/kWh and the parking rate, which can range from 2.00€ all the way 30.00€ depending on how long you can stay.
One Last Thing: Charging Adapters
Do be aware, however, that some electric scooter brands, like NIU electric scooters, use a Schuko type plug. At most public charging stations in Amsterdam you will need a Type 2 adapter in order to begin charging. As with many of the options mentioned above, there is also a very handy map available for you to check which charging points use which types of plugs! Currently, there are 148 stations that have a Schuko connector directly, but there are also 976 with Type 2 plugs only. It will definitely be a worthwhile investment to purchase a Type 2 adapter for ease of access as you cruise around Amsterdam!
Amsterdam is an extremely electric scooter friendly city. If you’ve just purchased a new scooter, like any of the NIU series electric scooters, or you’re an experienced driver, now you know that you have many options to charge your electric scooter in Amsterdam!
