Eneco e-mobility is the subsidiary of energy company Eneco that focuses on electric charging. The company is active in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, and acts as both Charge Point Operator (CPO) and Mobility Service Provider (MSP): from advice and installation to charging cards, invoicing and smart energy management. Among other things, the company rolls out fast chargers at major retail and real estate partners, using RetailSonar's ChargePlanner platform to do so.
We spoke with Thom Suurland, Business Developer at Eneco e-mobility, about data-driven location decisions, grid congestion and the collaboration with RetailSonar.
Thom has been working at Eneco e-mobility for two years now. From within the Strategy and Business Transformation team, he mainly focuses on the organisation's external growth: which segments are interesting, which go-to-market approach and new propositions fit them, and how is that translated into concrete projects? One of those propositions is what Eneco calls Snelladen zonder Investeren (fast charging without investing). This is exactly where the collaboration with ChargePlanner comes in.
Thom Suurland
Business Developer at Eneco e-mobility
Professionalising location decisions
The reason to team up with RetailSonar came from Eneco's go-to-market strategy. "At the time, I started looking at how we could professionalise our location forecasting," says Thom. "And we don't just look at where you place a charger, but also more broadly at traffic generation: how do you make sure more visitors come to the chargers? Think of findability online, on Google Maps and Apple Maps, but also physically: is the signage clearly visible from the outside, for example?"
"We used to rely on our gut feeling. Now we back up every location with data."
Starting from that broader view, Thom went looking for software that could help. "That's how I eventually ended up at RetailSonar." That professionalisation was badly needed, too. Before Eneco e-mobility worked with ChargePlanner, the approach was mainly based on gut feeling. "You looked at Google Maps, at the surroundings, at the competition. Back then that worked fine, but it was a manual process that took a lot of time. And the competition hasn't stood still either. Speed and accuracy are more important now than ever."
From one-off check to a fixed part of the decision-making process
Today, Eneco e-mobility uses ChargePlanner for both existing and new customers. For existing customers, the team maps out which new locations are interesting for a fast charger. At the same time, the platform also helps find new partners.
"It's a requirement that ChargePlanner data is taken into account in decision-making."
What stands out is how deeply ChargePlanner is now embedded in the organisation. "We've really anchored the use of the platform in our processes," Thom explains. "When a new location opens and we're considering placing a fast charger there, it's a requirement that ChargePlanner data is taken into account in the decision-making." The team also actively uses the data in tender procedures.
Staying creative despite grid congestion
One of the biggest challenges Eneco e-mobility faces is grid congestion. "Medium-voltage connections fill up quickly," says Thom. "Requests are being postponed to 2028 or 2029, so we hardly get those anymore. Low-voltage connections are still available, but that's becoming increasingly challenging too."
That's why the team looks for creative solutions. "We're looking at batteries: how can we still offer the customer fast charging on a 3x80 connection? That can be done with a battery-integrated charger, or with a separate, modular battery that you place next to a fast charger, for example. From an innovation perspective, we're really looking at how we can keep our business going despite those limitations. And that's going quite well."
A look ahead to e-trucks
Besides retail and real estate, Thom is also looking further ahead, albeit cautiously. Eneco has already had a demo of RetailSonar's Truck platform. "That's really future-oriented," he stresses. The interest doesn't come out of nowhere. In the Netherlands, Eneco has a number of locations with spare capacity, often on industrial estates, such as biogas plants. "That could be relevant for logistics partners running an electric fleet in that area, such as DHL or Coolblue. We could then potentially make them a competitive offer."
Still, Thom is level-headed about the pace of the market. While electric passenger cars now account for around 7 to 8 percent of the Dutch vehicle fleet, electric freight transport remains well below 1 percent. "But the big players in this world really are electrifying," he adds.
A knowledge partner, not a software supplier
Thom is outspokenly positive about working with the RetailSonar team. "I find it a very pleasant collaboration. They also regularly challenge us on the questions we're working on. So I really see it as a strategic partnership, rather than a software partner."
"The ChargePlanner team has both market knowledge and IT knowledge, which is very valuable to us."
"The colleagues we work with are quick to act, proactive, and know both the Dutch and Belgian markets and the EV sector in the broadest sense of the word. That combination of IT expertise and market knowledge is very valuable to us."
