Sibelga is exploring the possibility of integrating charging stations for electric vehicles on public lighting posts.

A pilot project on the Sibelga parking lot

The idea of integrating charging stations for electric vehicles on public lighting poles stems from a desire to reduce urban clutter. But before considering the deployment of this solution, several parameters must be examined: cost, practical feasibility (the “eligible” poles must be adjacent to parking spaces), robustness, etc.

Initially, a pilot project was carried out on the parking lot of the Sibelga site, located at Quai des Usines. Four suppliers offering this type of solution were identified on the market and each installed 2 bollards on public lighting poles at Sibelga. “The objective of these tests was to answer some of our questions. In particular, the robustness of the products, the ease of installation of the solutions, the interoperability between the bollards and an independent management platform, the feedback from the users of the bollards…”, explains Marie Hermanns, Innovation Officer.

After several months of experience, this pilot project has confirmed the technical reliability and customer service of this public lighting bollard solution. It has very similar characteristics to pedestal bollards.

Woluwe-Saint-Pierre: first commune in Brussels to be equipped with bollards on public lighting posts

Following the first tests carried out in the Sibelga parking lot, the analysis of the possibilities of charging stations on public lighting poles has been continued in the field.

As part of a collaboration between the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Sibelga, 8 charging stations were placed on street lights and inaugurated in May 2021.

This experience has enabled Sibelga to deepen its knowledge of the constraints of the terrain and of the eligible public lighting poles for the placement of these terminals. Further tests on a larger scale are still to be carried out in order to complete the study on this solution.