In the Netherlands, Shell Recharge Solutions is working in partnership with SPIE to serve this growth market, as Dorus Dijkstra, a project manager at Shell Recharge Solutions, explains.
« Shell and SPIE have a long track record of cooperation based on a shared culture of high standards and workplace safety, so it’s no surprise that, since SPIE began installing our electric vehicle chargers in early 2023, we have established a strong working relationship.
The fast pace of growth in this market creates challenges: in the Netherlands, our primary issue is a lack of electric grid capacity. Waiting for an upgrade might take the best part of a decade, but our corporate clients need to electrify their fleets now, so working with SPIE, we help them identify alternative solutions – such as implementing dynamic load balancing with other parts of their site in order to continuously optimise the use of available power during peak and off-peak hours.
SPIE has been supporting us on these projects right from the initial assessment. Often, we need to guide customers, helping them understand limitations and think ahead to the next stages as their electric vehicles fleet grows. SPIE is a great partner here, proposing smart solutions in the best interests of the customer.
Of course, these solutions are custom-made, meaning that components need to be ordered and can be subject to delay, or that unexpected issues may crop up on site. This is another challenge in the market which SPIE helps us to surmount, working at impressive speed and with great flexibility.
For instance, SPIE recently helped us to install 45 chargers for parcels courier DHL – at the busiest time of the year for the depot, right between Black Friday and Christmas! Despite this, SPIE completed the work on time and to the highest standards. »
